A Breath in the Dark
by The Book of Counted Sorrows
Summary: Neji becomes Gaara's light in the darkness, but everything changes when he finds out the truth behind his father's death. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto's relationship hangs by a thin string as Orochimaru makes his first moves against the two geniuses.
1. Ch 1: Gardening and Reflections

A/N:

Hello,

This story has been running around in my head and wouldn't stop bugging me. So here it is, my first fic. Hope you enjoy it. ;)

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

_**A Breath in the Dark**_

_**Gardening and Reflections**_

Gaara's POV

The sky was crying _again_, I muse. I look at the open expanse of upturned earth that Temari, my sister (at least that's what the court papers state, but I have my suspicions…) gleefully calls a _garden_, and can't stop the automatic glare that overtakes my features every time I look at the damn plot of weeds. When we first arrived in Konoha, Temari had been thrilled to finally be able to plant her own garden, and had by pain of torture, dragged me and Kankuro along. Her _precious_ patch of undergrowth which contained nothing more than shrubs and twigs, at least it seemed that way to me, had taken an _entire_ day to clear and plant. By night-fall the slave driver, also known as my sister, had finally, and might I add grudgingly, let us go for the day. The fact that her favorite show was coming on at eight had nothing to do with it. Yeah right.

Once Temari lets us leave, Kankuro, my older brother (whom I also have my suspicions about) calls first dibs on the bathroom. He hurriedly makes his way to the shower before Temari decides she needs something else done. Being the only girl had gotten her own bathroom, conveniently in her room, which happened to be the largest bedroom in the house. The fact that she has a temper that packs a punch (literally) didn't hurt her claim on said room. Kankuro and I are quite fond of our limbs and would like keep them in one piece so we didn't challenge her claim; we were quite content with the remaining two choices.

Aching and sore, I grudgingly make my way up to my room all the while cursing Temari and her stupid obsession with plants. Once inside I carelessly let my body drop onto my bed face-first. I'm fine with the shower arrangements since I'm still too tired to even contemplate moving. Every muscle in my body aches; even one's I previously didn't know I had until they made their presence know with a dull ache. _Damn_ _it_. I am Sabaku no Garra, I am not a _damn_ gardener, and I can still _feel_ Temari's response after informing her of my thoughts on the subject quite loudly and vehemently.

My side still hurts from the gardening shovel she used to smack me with. It's not like it was a large shovel or anything, in fact, it was quite small, but it was still made of goddamn METAL, and Temari was never one to show her siblings mercy once we talked back to her. I only hope I don't wake up with a bruise tomorrow morning.

I can't really hold a grudge against her since she always wanted a garden, something that was near impossible back in Suna. Growing up in the desert was not the best place to grow a garden. It was much too harsh and dry to allow the plants, she so desperately wanted, to thrive. When we had moved from Suna, after our father's death, she had made all the necessary arrangements which allowed us to stay together, and move to a new place to start over. Of course, the immense amount of money we inherited from our father did help speed things up. It was also the main reason we were not separated. Politics did have its perks, and Father had been a well-known politician back in Suna. Money had never been a problem; it was everything else that was an obstacle.

_Father was a loving and caring man, who had the daunting task of taking care of 3 teenagers without the benefit of a mother. The mother had died when the youngest of his children had been born, but he valiantly struggled on for his children sake and raised them by himself to the best of his ability_—at least that's what the narration given in the background of one of Father's campaign commercials had stated. The first time I saw it on TV I had almost choked on my soda. It had taken ten long minutes for my laughter to subside. It was one of those rare moments that I can remember feeling real mirth. _Please_. The only caring thing _he_ ever did for us was leave us money on the table for take-out, since he was rarely home—the one real blessing we had; at least for me.

Kankuro had just turned 18 when Father died in a car accident, and Temari was 17, while I was barely 16. Our father's lawyer had helped us stay together, and if it hadn't been for him the courts would never have given Kankuro custody of both Temari and I—although Temari is the one in charge behind the scenes. We were really grateful to the lawyer, even though he only took our case because of the boost in his image and the free press he received. He was planning on running for some government office come this fall, so our case was just a pre-election press before the real campaigning started; but we we're still grateful.

We moved to Konoha about a week ago. The two-story house that Temari found on the market contained 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (2nd story), a medium sized kitchen that opened into a fair sized dining room, and a large living room (1st story). Although it was nothing compared to the mansion we used to live in, we were all content. The house felt like a real home.

It's the middle of summer and we have yet to do much exploring, not that I want to anyways. School will start in less than a month and we all need to do some back-to-school shopping, which I'm dreading. I hate shopping, but I know Temari will drag me along.

I sigh in defeat at the inevitable.

Across the hall I hear Kankuro heading back to his room. I follow his progress with my ear until I hear him stop all movement at my door.

He casually knocks on my door before opening it without permission, and pops his head in my room.

"The shower's free, Squirt. Better get in their before Temari yells at you to come eat dinner."

I turn my head around to face him and give him my what-the-fuck-did-I tell-you-about-calling-me-that glare. He just chuckles and heads towards his room leaving me staring at the now opened door. I get up with a groan and walk across the room to close it with an audible thump before heading towards my dresser to get my clothes. Clothes in tow, I make my way to my door, which swings open just as I'm about to reach for the handle. Needless to say, I'm sent tumbling to the ground clothes and all.

"What the fuck!" I yell.

"Gaara, what have I told you about your language."

Temari walks in and gently helps me up. I glare at her the entire time. She notices but doesn't say a word. She doesn't want to start an argument.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour, I ordered Chinese", she says with a smile, and walks out letting the door shut behind her as she leaves.

'I really need to get a lock for that door'.

I hear the retreating footsteps and let out a sigh. Since leaving Suna she and Kankuro have been trying too make this a real home for me. They want to give me the normal childhood I never had back in Suna. I know they feel bad about what happened to me back there, for all the times I silently suffered behind close doors. This is their way of saying they we're sorry for not saving me from Father—not that they could have done anything anyways. I know they're trying their best, but I can't just magically become the loving brother they wish for, not after the years Father spent trying to break me.

He forbade me to call him anything else other than Father, formal enough for his politician mind-set, yet distant enough to demonstrate the gaping hole between father and son. Old habits die hard and I have yet to rid myself of this one.

Father had always hated me, and had made it clear to both my siblings how he felt about me._ The murderer who had killed his beloved wife_. Temari and Kankuro were always weary of leaving me alone at home while _he_ was there. Even when we were young, our father was rarely home, and the three of us had to stick together, since we had no servants. Father did not want a gossiping servant to go to the press and ruin the carefully cultivated image he had constructed for himself.

As soon as Temari and Kankuro were old enough they were sent off to different boarding schools; thus, leaving me to Father's own devices. Of course, Temari and Kankuro were not aware of _all_ the grief I went through. When asked how things were at home, during the few occasions that Temari and Kankuro were allowed to visit or call, I would simply say that everything was fine. That was far from the truth.

When I was old enough to enter boarding school, Father decided to hire a private tutor to teach me at home. He wanted to keep me away from people in order to 'protect others from my evil ways'. I was not naïve enough to believe his lies; I knew he kept me close by to better make my existence a living hell.

I was taught at home by the tutor during the day, and was even allowed a physical activity during the afternoon.

Father never did inquire what I chose to do; otherwise he would have forbidden me from pursuing my one joy in a life of suffering. Unbeknownst to _him_, it was this activity that actually saved me from just giving up. I learned how to channel my emotional frustration and at the same time create something beautiful. It was the only beauty in my life and the more precious to me since I alone created it.

However, in the evening when Father returned from work he would throw me in the basement and leave me there without dinner—often over the weekends. Sometimes when Father was particularly mad, he would throw me in a steel-box cell barely big enough to allow my slight body through, and leave me in the dark basement for hours. No amount of screaming would sway him.

I would scream until my voice was hoarse and ragged. Thanks to this treatment, the dark became both a consolation and torture for me. The dark of the basement was one of the few respites I had from Father's treatment of me; however, it also left me to my own thoughts. I hated my thoughts, I hated myself, and I hated the enclosed space I was left in. This I think was the pinnacle of my hate—I did not wish to be alone in that enclosed space, but during those years of torment I was forever alone.

The few instances that Temari and Kankuro found out about his treatment of me were enough to have Temari screaming with tear-filled eyes at my father, while Kankuro went after him physically. The fights they got into were never serious enough to warrant a hospital visit (something I am forever grateful for), but they were still pretty bad since Father was older and stronger than Kankuro.

The first time they found me in The Cell I was 12 years old. Father had allowed Temari and Kankuro to come down for the holidays, and it was on one of these rare occasions that it happened.

Flashback

"_We're home!" The eldest sand sibling yelled to the empty parlor._

"_Idiot. What if he was sleeping? You probably woke him up with your shouting," hissed the female sand sibling while smacking her idiot brother over the head. _

"_It's barely midnight, he's still awake," Kankuro explained with an air of confidence, while rubbing his head. Temari sure knew how to smack people that annoyed her, he thought._

"_He's probably looking for a club to bash your head in—if he was asleep," Temari said with an evil smirk._

"_He wouldn't…," he weakly protested. All trace of his earlier confidence drained from his voice, while his eyes began to dart back and forth through the dark corridors that surround the parlor. Unwelcome images of his little brother, club in hand, wormed their way into his thoughts. _

_After a minute of silence Temari became concerned, the house was just too quiet. "Where IS everyone?" _

_Kankuro raised and dropped his shoulders, silently stating he had no idea. The two sand siblings made their way deeper into the mansion, and were soon rewarded. Classical music could be heard coming in the direction of their father's study. They looked at each other and silently agreed to pay homage to their father before searching for their younger brother. _

_They crossed the kitchen but were stopped by a distant scream. _

"_What the fuck was that!" Kankuro asked; his heart beat erratic. _

"_I don't know—" Temari was cut-off as another distant but terrified scream was heard. _

"_I think it's coming from the basement," Temari continued in a shaken voice. _

_The two siblings made their way to the basement and hesitantly peered into the dark interior._

"_Hello…" Temari timidly called out._

_Both siblings lingered at the top of the stairs awaiting a response. After a minute of straining their ears, they heard a hesitant weak reply._

"_Te-ma-ri …?" The stranger's voice stuttered out before being engulfed by a fit of violent coughing._

"_Oh MY GOD! It's GAARA" Temari shrieked as soon as she recognized the voice in the dark. _

_Without a second thought she ventured into the dark interior of the basement and franticly searched for her younger brother. Meanwhile, Kankuro anxiously searched for the light switch, but his nerves were slowing his progress. _

"_GAARA WHERE ARE YOU?" Temari yelled hysterically unable to locate her little brother in the enormous basement. _

_She heard a rustling of clothing to her left and sprinted in the direction of the noise only to be met with cold steel. _

"_GAARA! GAARA! WHERE ARE YOU!" _

_Another brutal episode of coughing was her only reply._

_Desperately trying to hold back her tears, she concentrated on finding an entrance in order to reach her little brother, but the box-like metal was solid. _

_Back at the top of the stairs, Kankuro was having better luck; he had finally found the light switch and quickly flipped it. _

_Bathed in light, Temari now noticed that the metal box which had prevented her from getting to her little brother was actually a metal cell. It was solid except for a few air holes scattered here and there. The front, at least what she assumed to be the front, of the cell had a large metal lock. From inside she heard her little brother whimpering, having recovered from his coughing fit before Kankuro turned on the light. _

_From the stairs Kankuro was able to see the cell in the middle of the basement, so out of place compared to the tools and other accessories that lined the dank walls. From his view the cell was solid, the only indication that his little brother was indeed inside it was the occasional whimpering that Gaara hopelessly tried to hold back._

_Seeing her panic-stricken baby brother in that horrible metal cell was too much for Temari. The tears she had so valiantly tried to hold back came rushing uncontrollably down her face. _

_Using a wrench, located a few feet away, Temari frantically tried to break the metal lock holding her little brother captive. _

"_SHIT." Kankuro hissed as he watched the scene below him unfold itself._

_He rushed down the stairs and ran to his sister. Desperately trying to calm her down he wrapped his arms around her; all the while whispering to her—_

"_Shhh…"_

"_It's okay."_

"_We're going to get him out of there."_

"_Calm down Temari"_

"_Shhh…"_

"_You need to be brave for him"_

"_Here give me this, you know you can't break that metal lock with this" As he said this, he gently took the wrench from her hand. _

"_I'm going to get the key to unlock the cell; you stay here and try to calm him down, okay." He looked his sister in the eyes and once he was sure she would be okay he hugged her tightly before letting her go—with that he ran for the study knowing full well who had locked his little brother in that abomination._

End Flashback

He had purchased it just for me, or so he told me the first time he locked me in The Cell at age six. Temari and Kankuro had never found out about it 'til then because they were never home when father would place me in there.

On this occasion, I had broken a vase while trying to get away from his rage, and he was more than happy to lock me in that metal prison—he knew how much I hated it. He threw me in the basement—which he designated as my _real_ room—and put me in The Cell. I had been screaming for about an hour before my brother and sister found me down there.

Temari had freaked and tried to get me out, but it was nearly impossible without the key. Kankuro had gone after Father and started yelling at him to let me out. I barely remember what happened after that since I started to have a panic attack. The next thing I remember I was in Temari's room. Kankuro had her in a fierce hug trying to calm her down. She was shaking uncontrollably and crying profusely.

There were a few more incidents after that but they were all pretty much the same. My siblings would find me in the basement and would freak. I would have a panic attack and black out. I always ended up in Temari's room. At least they didn't know about the beatings, or that one attempt on my life, I didn't want to cause them unnecessary suffering since they could do nothing to stop the beast who called himself our Father.

For years, Father degraded me and repeatedly told me how worthless I was in many different forms. He would beat me, but only in places that were not visible and could be easily covered up by clothing. Father was many things but he was not stupid. Evidence of his abuse could be turned into the police and even though they couldn't pin anything on him (that's why he had such an expensive lawyer), the tarnish it would make to his image would be irrevocable. So, I grew up with little to no social skills and an innate conception of my insignificance. Years of silent torture cannot be ended in such a short amount of time; but neither can I deny my brother and sister's obvious attempts to give me what I never had as a child—normalcy.

As I proceed to take my shower my thoughts once again linger toward my siblings. If I want my brother and sister to be less concerned over me, then there's really no choice but to act less eerie and frightening—at least in front of them.

Maybe less glares—that sounds about right. I could even try to be more brotherly towards them, _try_ being the operative word.

I get out of the shower and dry myself out. I change quickly and go downstairs before Kankuro eats my portion of Chinese food—he's sneaky that way. I look at the calendar as I pass by and see the date Temari has circled in black marker. A couple more weeks left before we start school I notice. How wonderful.

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So, there it is; I hope it was okay. I already know what I want to do with this story and how the fic will end, I just need to write it. I would rather not try to write a summary since I prefer to surpsrise the reader. There is a plot just stick with me a little. I will try to update at least once a week, seeing as I have to go back to school in a couple of days.

I'm already working on the next chapter, which describes the trio's first day of school, and new characters will be introduced.

Reviews are appreciated. Thanks.


	2. Ch 2: Of Heartbreak & New Aquaintances

A/N:

Hello,

Sorry about the late update. I just started school so their goes all my time. This chapter is mainly about Sasuke and Neji and their background. Next chapter will have an actual plot and many more characters will be introduced. Hope you enjoy it. ;)

P.S.

While reading the chapter in my spare time, I noticed a couple of mistakes I made, and they wouldn't stop nagging at me until I fixed them. It was just one or two spelling errors. Little things like that bug me.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

_**Of Heartbreak and New Acquaintances**_

"Gaara!" Temari yelled from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready. I made your favorite, chocolate chip waffles."

With that last statement she could hear an audible racket coming from Gaara's and Kankuro's room. Obviously, both brothers had heard her and were more than eager to have some home cooked chocolate chip waffles. She giggled at their antics as she heard them hurriedly make their way downstairs and head for the kitchen.

She had woken up at 6 o'clock that morning in order to make sure everything was set for their first day of school. She had made waffles with chocolate chips knowing Gaara's sweet tooth. She snickered at the thought. Who would have thought that her odd little brother could be reduced to begging when it came to chocolate? She had used that dirty little secret on him more than once to her advantage knowing full well that Gaara could become a virtual slave if dark chocolate were promised.

According to him milk chocolate wasn't _real_ chocolate and white chocolate was just an abomination that wasn't worthy of holding the prestige title of **_Chocolate_**.

She smiled at the thought. Gaara could be so adorable when he was passionate about something, though she never voiced it out loud. She really didn't want to wake up with a rat-infested room courtesy of her little brother. He had threatened her with that little scenario more than once. She still wasn't sure if he would put words into action—with Gaara one never knew—so she had kept her mouth wisely shut just in case.

"Did I hear you say chocolate chip waffles?" the brown-eyed older sibling asked hopefully, striding into the kitchen wearing dark baggy pants with a pair of black sneakers, and a black shirt sporting the name of a Rock Band of some sort. The name was partially hidden by droplets of blood streaming from a knife that was embedded in a heart. Temari noticed his brown shaggy hair was in its usual mess, he was lucky that his hair looked good in a messy-style-sort-of-way because she knew from personal experience that the disheveled mop of hair refused to be tamed.

Gaara walked in behind Kankuro with his usual demeanor of an uncaring teenager. He was wearing a pair of black pants that hugged his hips and loosened as they went down his legs with a pair of black sneakers. He wore a tight black shirt that barely covered his stomach, with a red dragon emblazoned in the middle. At the shoulders the shirt gave way to black fishnet sleeves, and pair of black fingerless gloves that enveloped his hands completed the outfit. Although his choice of clothes was a sight in itself, the most interesting thing about his appearance was his face. Blood-red hair that hung in unruly spikes around his face, skimmed porcelain white skin—the only interruption being the blood red kanji for love that was tattooed to his forehead just above his left eye.

However, it was his eyes that drew one's attention. Aqua marine eyes that could change from a soft blue to a fierce green according to his mood were brought out by black eye-liner that covered dark rings caused by insomnia. To say the least, Gaara made quite an impression on strangers.

Temari regarded her two brother's appearance and looked at her own facade. She wore a black miniskirt with black fish-net stockings. Her black heels were low enough that if she needed to move quickly her choice of walking equipment would not impair her; and a black and red tank top completed her outfit. She wore her blond hair in 4 messy pony-tails, and her unpainted pink lips complemented her teal colored eyes. Overall, she thought she looked good and ready to face their first day of school with confidence—although she did notice and couldn't help but laugh at their choice of color, or lack of it. They were almost dressed as Goths, not that they didn't like going Goth, but they had to be in the mood for it and it just so happened that today was just one of those days.

"What's so funny?" Kankuro asked while looking at her awkwardly.

Laughing hysterically at the look Kankuro gave her, Temari was overtaken by another fit of laughter.

"It's just that…", and here she proceeded to laugh even harder all the while pointing at their clothing. Clutching her stomach, Temari valiantly tried to compose herself.

'I guess were all just in the mood,' she thought.

It was official, Kankuro thought. There was no doubt about it now; his sister had lost her mind. Yep, he always knew she had a few loose screws up there but now the last part of her mind that was _somewhat_ sane was officially gone.

Recollecting herself, the female sand sibling dismissed the awkward looks Kankuro gave her, while Gaara wore his usually stoic face. Kankuro already thought she was half crazy, no point in correcting him—she liked knowing he was in fear of her unpredictable behavior.

"Forget about it," Temari said between chuckles. "You two better get to work on those waffles before they grow cold."

No further prompting was needed from her. Dismissing Temari's weird behavior, the two Sabaku brothers sat down to eat a hearty breakfast made by a loved one.

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Kankuro wasn't happy with the arrangements. He wanted to be by his younger brother's side on his first day of school. Being the older brother, he felt it was his duty to be there at least for emotional support—not that Gaara had ever expressed any type of emotion, except annoyance—but that wasn't the point, the point was that Kankuro should be there to give him pointers at least. Things like who to avoid, who were mostly assholes, who were okay, who were the popular kids, and who were the unpopular—things like that were very vital for a person about to enter his first day of high school.

He wasn't worried about bullies or things like that; he knew Gaara could take care of himself. He might not look the part, but Gaara was surprisingly strong thanks to wielding that metal pipe when creating those—but that's a different story for another time.

Kankuro knew from personal experience that Gaara could throw a mean right punch one minute, and casually get back to reading his Dean Koontz novel the next. No, he wasn't worried over anyone picking on his little brother, he thought with a prideful smirk.

Seeing as he couldn't change things Kankuro had grudgingly accepted that Temari would have to take care of things at school. It wasn't that he didn't trust her; Temari had a sharp mind and didn't act like a ditsy chick, _thank God for small favors_. But she was still a girl, and as such she did not grasp the subtle gestures of _male interaction _and its importance.

She did not fully understand that given Gaara's social skills, or should he say lack of them, almost guaranteed he would attract the wrong attention.

He was already nervous about starting his first year of college, he really didn't need to worry about Gaara but he couldn't help it. He was supposed to take care of his brother; it was his duty.

He was determined to make-up for all the times in which he failed to protect him. He would not allow anything to hurt his younger brother, not if it was in his power to stop it.

"I have to head over to the college to get some things in order," Kankuro stated while jiggling his keys in his left hand—a nervous habit he had accumulated over the years. "I don't have class 'til 9 so feel free to call me up if anything comes up."

"As if anyone in their right mind would call YOU in an emergency," Temari muttered.

"What?" Kankuro yelled indignantly. "I'll have you know that I keep a cool head in any situation, AND—" before he started rambling on Temari cut him off.

"Okay, okay. We get it. Sheesh. I was just pulling your leg."

"Anyways," she continued, "I have everything under control. If Gaara needs anything he can always call me on my cell, since I'm closer, and we'll _inform_ you if anything does come up."

"Damn right you'll inform me. So… I have to get going but I'll see you guys tonight after work."

Directing his gaze to his younger brother he continued on.

"You can fill me in later how your first day of school goes, okay", he said with a warm smile.

A glare was his only response, not that he didn't expect it. The way he figured it, Gaara's many glares (and their were many distinct types—you had your: get-out-of-my-sight glare, I'm-going-to-break-each-and-every-one-of-your-bones glare, what-the-fuck-did-I-tell-you-about-calling-me-that glare, your-fucken-annoying-and-if-you-don't-leave-right-fucken-now-I'm-going-to-bash-your-head-in-with-a-club glare, why-the-hell-are-you-speaking-to-me glare, you-did-not-just-do-that glare, as-soon-as-there-are-no-witnesses-you-are-going-to-die-a-very-slow-and-painful-death glare, etc., etc.) were his way of dealing with people without actually dealing with them.

One of the reasons he and Temari were a little worried about him was the fact that Gaara had always been tutored at home. Adding to that, their father had rarely allowed him to go out; thus, Gaara's social skills were virtually non-existent.

It would have been best to gradually get him used to society, but he would have none of it. He did not want special treatment, so here they were. He was a blind rabbit about to be tossed into a swarm of hungry wolves.

Kankuro couldn't help but sigh. He knew how cliché high school could be; boarding school was bad enough, but a public high school, like Konoha High, were the places these clichés became the law.

He and Temari were well aware that Konoha High could either help their little brother out of the nightmare that had been his life these past 16 years, or it could draw him even deeper into the dark cavern of his mind.

God, what a choice.

Mentally shaking himself before his mood did a 360, the older sibling slid into his silver 2001 Camry and drove off to his first day of college, while Temari and Gaara made their way to her navy blue 2004 Mustang GT.

Once inside, Temari turned on the radio and put in one of her CD's. Cher's "It's in his Kiss" (Shoop Shoop) blasted out her speakers followed by Elvis "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock", her music consisted of these and other similar classics (according to her). The 15 minute drive to school consisted of Temari singing along and tapping her hand on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

Gaara just endured the music, living with Temari and Kankuro had given a small tolerance for Elvis, the Beatles, The Eagles, Rolling Stones, Cher, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Tina Turner, and various other classic artists.

Once they reached the school Temari slid her car into a parking space. She grabbed her bag and slipped out of the car. Following her example, the youngest Sabaku grasped his own bag and slowly made his way to where Temari was waiting for him.

Side-by side, they confidently walked into Konoha High.

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"Neji!"

"Neji! Would you like to come to my back to school party this Saturday?"

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke, I love you!"

"Sasuke, would you like to go out with me?"

"Will you guys like to sit at our table?"

"How was your summer?"

"Are you two going to the homecoming dance?"

"Neji, aren't you Captain of the Varsity Soccer Team this year?

"Sasuke aren't you a starter?

These were only some of the many questions directed at them as they entered Konoha High, and they dealt with them as they always did—they simply ignored them.

Neji and Sasuke were the most popular guys at Konoha High. The fact that they had never dated or acknowledged any of the girls who practically threw themselves at them had also made them the most pursued guys in school.

'It's human nature to want what one can never have' thought the ever logical Neji.

He didn't like the attention he was given by half the girl population—the other half was busy fawning over Sasuke—but he would not allow anything to phase his cold façade, even a bunch of annoying chicks.

He was a patient individual who did not allow his emotions to hinder any of his decisions—not that his emotions were ever a problem, since he considered himself an emotionless person. He saw what emotions did to people—turned them into irrational idiots that made insane decisions based on _how they felt_.

The 17 year-old was currently looking forward to ending his last year of high school before going off to college. High school was just another stepping stone towards his goal: to live his own life and free himself from Hiashi and the Hyuuga name that bound him to a life he never wanted. He had already planned out his life, and was sure nothing could get in the way of his ambition.

Next to him, Sasuke finally had enough and spoke in an angry tone to the fan-girls who were currently swarming them.

"Leave NOW!"

The fan-girls were used to Sasuke's cold tone and had grown quite fond of it. Instead of cold, they found it endearing in their demented minds; but an angry Sasuke could be very scary at times—something they secretly found thrilling. However, it was not enough to evoke that anger on them. They might be crazy obsessed fan-girls, but they weren't stupid—most of the time…some of the time…whatever.

So they grudgingly left the two boys to their own amusements (at least for a while). I mean, a good fan-girl needed time to create a plan in which Neji or Sasuke, heck better yet both of them, would confess their undying love for them. Then they could get engaged and be the envy of every girl in the city and—

A death glare from the young Uchiha was all the prompting the swarm of Locus, a.k.a. the fan-girls, needed. They quickly dispersed leaving a trail of perfume behind.

The two boys were finally left in peace, at least until the bell rang.

Neji and Sasuke were very good friends ever since middle school when they had banded together against their common enemy—crazy obsessed fan-girls. From there their friendship had grown due to their similar yet different background.

They were both cool and collected under pressure, geniuses in their own right, and very talented athletes.

However, while Neji was patient and emotionless, Sasuke was impatient and temperamental. He didn't often let people get under his skin, but given the right jab—especially from a certain blue-eyed blonde dobe, or a perfect older brother— he could explode into a fit of rage. They were as much alike as they were different.

Clad in beige kaki shorts with white sneakers and a creamy white polo shirt, the white-eyed Hyuuga prodigy, companion in tow, casually made his way outside and headed for the large oak tree decorating the back of the school. Once there, they both lay down and relaxed under the large oak.

Dressed in light-grey kaki shorts with grey sneakers and a dark-grey polo shirt, the broody 16 year-old Junior lay next to the Hyuuga lost in his own thoughts.

Flashback

"_Itachi, what are these?" hissed the younger Uchiha, while throwing the set of papers on the table. _

_While borrowing some of his brother's cologne, Sasuke had discovered a pair of plane tickets on his brother's night stand, and had quickly stomped off towards the kitchen where he knew Itachi was making breakfast._

_Ignoring his younger brother, Itachi turned off the stove, and with the help of a spatula, proceeded to serve the homemade eggs and bacon onto the two plates he had set earlier. _

_Holding in his temper, Sasuke waited 'til his brother finished pouring two glasses of orange juice he had taken from the cupboard. He knew from experience that Itachi would not answer his question if he yelled at him._

_Itachi casually sat down and motioned for his younger brother to sit as well._

_It seemed they would have breakfast before he looked at the papers, thought the young Uchiha. _

_So be it. _

_They ate in silence. Sasuke was barely able to choke down the food, but ate it despite his lack of appetite, knowing full well that his brother would take even longer to answer him if he didn't eat breakfast._

_After they finished, and placed their plates on the sink, Itachi casually picked up the discarded papers on the table. _

"_Now, let's see what has you in such a temper today little brother," Itachi said in a patient voice he would have used on a three year old. This only served to make the younger Uchiha even angrier._

_Sasuke had enough of Itachi's evasiveness and made his thoughts known with a glare. _

_Ignoring Sasuke's glare, Itachi briefly looked at the pile of papers—he already knew what they were, and the reason why Sasuke was so angry. _

_Lifting his gaze to his impatient little brother, who was currently tapping his foot on the floor, the older Uchiha broke the silence. _

"_They're airline tickets."_

_That's it._

_The younger Uchiha exploded in a fit of rage._

"_I fucken know what they are! What I want to know is why the fuck do you have a pair of goddamn plane tickets in your room!"_

"_It would seem the answer is obvious, Sasuke. I'm going to use them to board a plane."_

_Seeing his little brother about to go ballistic, he also added as an after thought._

"_Oh, I'll be gone for about four months."_

_With those parting words, the older Uchiha strolled out of the kitchen. Leaving a fuming Sasuke behind, but he would not be dismissed so easily. _

_Marching after his older brother, the young Uchiha made his way to Itachi's room. He was far from finished._

_Collecting himself, Sasuke spoke in a frigid voice._

"_You're leaving me as well." _

_It was a statement._

_Itachi couldn't blame his younger brother for assuming that he would actually leave him by choice, but he could not hold the trip off any longer. _

_Speaking in a gentler tone, Itachi turned around to face the last of his family._

"_I would never leave you by choice, you have to understand that Sasuke. But I have to go; you've known this trip was coming."_

"_I assumed you would wait 'til I finished high school," the younger Uchiha said with a twinge of heartbreak._

_Noticing Sasuke's suppressed pain, Itachi quickly stifled his instincts to go to his brother and comfort him. He knew Sasuke would not look too kindly at his brotherly gesture. He would see it as another attempt to make him the weaker Uchiha. _

_Itachi loved his little brother, but fate and their father had turned them into eternal rivals. A position he never wanted, but was cursed to posses after their parent's death._

"_The senior partners will no longer wait idly by while we finish growing up. You know that as well as I do, Sasuke. They are growing irritable, and now that I'm turning 18, they expect me to put on the mantle as CEO of Uchiha Enterprises."_

_Sasuke caught Itachi's gaze and was surprised to see sorrow on his brother's features, but quickly dismissed it._

_Speaking in a resigned voice, Itachi continued._

"_If it were up to me, I would pass the title on to you. I never wanted to take over after father, but it's _their_ legacy. The Uchiha Legacy. As the remaining Uchiha's it falls onto us to keep the family name from eroding into history."_

_Looking at Sasuke with regret, the older Uchiha prepared himself for the ultimate blow that would guarantee his brother's hatred toward him for all time._

"_You know as well as I do, that they would never accept you as CEO since your too young, but they will make an exception for me, given the circumstances."_

_That's all the older Uchiha was able to say before Sasuke walked out of his room and out of the house. _

_It was all he could do not to run after his brother when he heard a frustrated scream from outside._

_He never wanted this, and yet here he was. _

_He sat down on his bed and decided against leaving the house today, instead choosing to curl-up in bed watching his life run away from him. His dreams lay shattered at his feet, and all he could do was curl-up in bed grieving for a life he would never have. How quaint._

End Flashback

He had screamed his frustration to the world. It had felt good to let it all out, but his peace was soon shattered. His brother's words reverberated in his mind.

"_You know as well as I do, that they would never accept you as CEO since your too young, but they will make an exception for me, given the circumstances."_

God, how he hated Itachi.

He wasn't naïve; he knew the real reason why he would never be accepted as CEO of Uchiha Enterprises: compared to Itachi he was deemed lacking the necessary skills to run the company and thus hold such a title.

Who in their right mind would allow him to take the position when they had Itachi?

All his life, he had been pitted against his older sibling, and try as he may he could never surpass Itachi.

He was never seen nor acknowledged for himself or his conquests. He exerted himself to his limit in a vain attempt to please his parent's and their impossible expectations; yet they never acknowledged his hard work and thus they would never see him as himself.

_Uchiha Sasuke. _

_Damn it! He was not Itachi, nor would he ever be._

He was cursed to remain in Itachi's shadow and after their parent's death he was condemned to keep it.

Their parents had died while traveling to Italy, the location of the European branch of Uchiha Enterprises. Their company jet was hit by lightning and crashed into the ocean.

He was only 14, while his older brother had just turned 16 two days before.

He could still remember every detail of that fateful day.

Two men in black suits had knocked on their door and gave them the news along with their regrets.

The days to follow would be even worse. People came and gave them their regrets with their sympathetic voices and sad eyes.

He hated all the empty condolences he received, as if their empty words could really comfort him. For God sake his parents had just died and all people could tell him was how sorry they were.

He remembered how Itachi had stayed in his room for three days straight without eating. When he finally did come out of his room his long black hair was still wet from the shower he had taken half an hour before.

Itachi had knocked on his door before opening it.

He had just placed the family album in his drawer when he heard the knock. He turned around just as two strong arms wrapped themselves around his torso.

Without saying a word, Itachi had enveloped him a fierce hug.

He was caught in strong yet gentle arms by the last remaining member of his family, and try as he may he could not stop himself from breaking down and sobbing into his brother's shirt.

He had cried his heart out and had been lulled to sleep by Itachi's gentle singing.

The next morning Itachi did not say anything about the incident the night before, and he did not remind him.

Although no words of significance were exchanged they had both taken comfort from each other without realizing it.

However, his older brother was now leaving him just as his parents had left him.

Following their parent's death, the senior partners had been extremely patient with them, and had run the company for them while they finished growing up.

As Sasuke thought about this morning's conversation with his older sibling, he knew he had overreacted. He was loathed to say it, but Itachi was right.

The senior partners would never accept him as CEO, yet they would make an exception for the Uchiha prodigy—_Uchiha Itachi._

Now that Itachi was turning 18 they wanted him to take responsibility of the company, and that meant going on a four-month trip to Italy.

About a year ago, the Itachi had talked to him about the trip. His brother had told him that before he could take the position he needed to visit the European Branch of Uchiha Enterprises.

Itachi had not wanted to take one of the company jet's seeing as their parents had died in one, so he had told him that he would buy two sets of airline tickets, since they needed two pairs of tickets for the trip to and from Italy.

His older brother had also told him that he would never leave him behind, yet he had found only one pair of tickets. Itachi's tickets.

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by the bell.

Next to him, Neji sat up and easily got to his feet. As he began to walk to class he noticed Sasuke had yet to get up.

"Coming?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

He saw as Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts, and quickly recovered from his momentary lapse.

Without explanation, the young Uchiha caught up to the Hyuuga and the two made their way to their respected classrooms.

Neji made no comments. If Sasuke wanted to share his thoughts he would. They both respected each other's privacy.

There were something's that were better left to oneself.

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Having Gai-sensei as a teacher almost guaranteed an interesting class—and it was not the lecture that was interesting.

Gai-sensei was a character on to himself, who wore a full body green spandex suit. He preached about the spring-time of youth, and had a habit of assigning essays with a Carpe Diem theme.

He was an eccentric individual, and it was always fascinating to see what he would do next, weather it be challenging his eternal rival Kakashi (the art teacher), or running 50 laps around the track field while carrying two jugs of water as punishment for losing to said rival—which happened A LOT.

Neji had Gai-sensei last year, and was doomed to have him again this year.

Some punishments are meant to be endured longer than one first guessed, thought the white-eye Hyuuga, while trying to recall the misdeed he must have committed in a past life to warrant such a punishment.

He was stuck with his eccentric teacher once again and he would endure another school year with him once again.

Seeing as he was a genius and an A+ student Neji could afford to let his mind wander from time to time, and that's what he did during Gai-sensei's energetic speech about living life to its full extent and what not; soon he would move on to class rules and everything else teachers went over the first day of school.

God, could school be any more boring.

Everything was the same. The same beat-up lockers that needed the extra forceful push, the same crappy food that was better off used in food fights, the same mundane people that constantly demanded attention from him.

He was tired of it all. He couldn't wait till he could get out of this place, especially the Hyuuga mansion.

He hated the Hyuuga mansion.

He hated the Hyuuga name that had bound his father to the shackles of tradition, and had eventually demanded his life.

Flashback

_A young four-year old Neji was sitting by the window eagerly waiting for his father to return back to from his business trip. _

_As soon as his martial arts teacher had let him go for the day he had taken a quick shower and sat down by the window to wait for his father. _

"_Neji, what are you doing by the window? You've been here for an hour," asked one of his aunts. _

_The bright-eye four year old responded in a jubilant voice._

"_I'm waiting for Daddy to come home. He said that he would finish reading 'Peter Pan' to me."_

_The older Hyuuga just smiled at the young boy. _

_Ever since his mother's death, she had made sure Neji was taken care of and she would often ask him about his day. _

_The young Hyuuga would entertain her with fantastical stories that were no doubt greatly embellished but she was always happy to hear the adorable little boy spin his tales of knights and dragons. _

_She had always found Neji to be a charming little boy with a great sense of humor. He would often play pranks on his father and the two would act like little children whenever they were together._

_Although his father was very busy with the Hyuuga Corporation he always made time for his son. _

_Hizashi was a wonderful father, unlike Hiashi she thought. She felt pity for Hinata, the Hyuuga heir. _

_Hizashi was very harsh with his daughter. _

_He felt she was too weak to properly lead the Hyuuga Corporation; however, tradition demanded she lead them and all he could do was try to mold her into a proper heiress. _

_She had often noticed Hiashi's longing look at Neji. _

_Every Hyuuga knew that the young four year old would make a great leader someday, and given the chance, he could bring the Hyuuga name to unimaginable heights; but he was not the heir and could never be._

"_It's Daddy!" shouted a young Neji eagerly pointing out the window and interrupting her thoughts in the process. _

_She watched as Neji jumped out of his seat and ran for the door. The young Hyuuga was instantly gone leaving a wooden chair resting by the window as the only indication that he had indeed occupied the room for the past hour._

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_Neji ran to the black limousine currently occupying the front entrance of the Hyuuga mansion. As he ran past his uncle, who was surprised to see him, he noticed the change in his uncle's demeanor._

'_Uncle Hiashi doesn't look that well,' thought the small boy._

_His uncle looked like he hadn't slept in two days and his eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying for a long time, but that couldn't be right. In all his life Neji could only recall a handful of times he had ever seen any type of emotion from him._

_Dismissing his uncle's unusual behavior the four year old ran up to the black limousine only to find it empty. _

_Above him, lighting crackled as a drizzle of rain fell from the sky. In his haste to see his father he had forgotten to grab a sweater. Daddy would surely scold him for forgetting it, thought the young Hyuuga._

"_Neji, come inside before you get soaked," called out a broken version of Hiashi. His voice had cracked when he said his name._

_Neji had always been intelligent and was considered a genius by most; so he put two and two together._

_Something was not right. _

_Usually his father would run up the steps and greet him with a strong bear-hug followed by an appearance of the tickle monster, but Neji found no sign of his father. _

'_Where is he?'_

_Neji turned around just as Hiashi grabbed his arm in an attempt to pull him inside. However, the young four year old broke the loose hold his uncle had placed on him._

_He refused to go inside before finding out where his father was and when he would be back. _

_He had promised to finish 'Peter Pan' tonight. _

_Hair plastered to his head, Neji turned wide-innocent eyes on his uncle and asked in a curious voice where his Daddy was. _

"_Uncle Hiashi, where's Daddy? He promised he would finish reading 'Peter Pan' to me. I wanna know what happens to Peter Pan and Cap't Hook. Daddy said that Cap't Hook was a pirate and that pirates are bad people, so I told him that if I ever met a pirate I would capture him and—" _

"_Neji," interrupted Hiashi, "your father is not coming." _

"_Why not?" The four year old asked with a confused look on his face. _

_By now the small drizzle had turned into a full out shower and both Hyuuga's were soaking wet._

_Hiashi turned away from the innocent eyes that looked up at him. He could not look at his nephew without seeing his brother. _

_God. He couldn't tell Neji the truth, but as the Hyuuga leader and Hizashi's twin brother, it was his responsibility. _

_He wished he could be someone else, someone without a title, someone that was not responsible for other people._

_Just for one day._

_He wanted to grieve for his brother, but he had to be strong._

_But God, he did not want to tell Neji that his father was dead._

_He couldn't break his heart that way, and yet there was no one else. So, steeling himself, he prepared to tell his nephew that the last of his parents was gone; the father that he loved so much was dead._

_Looking into Neji's eyes, Hiashi spoke in a collected yet heartbroken voice._

"_Neji, there was an accident on the trip and your father didn't make it."_

"_What do you mean? What happened?"_

_Neji was now worried. Where was his Daddy?_

_Crouching down to his nephew's level, Hiashi took the boy in his arms and hugged him tightly._

"_He's gone Neji. There was a bomb—and he died trying to save the rest of us. I'm so sorry Neji. We tried to stop him but—" _

_That's all Neji heard before his world fell apart, shattering into a million pieces._

_He knew what death was, his mother had been taken from him at an early age, and now his father too._

"_NO! YOU'RE LYING!" _

"_WHERE IS HE?" _

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO?"_**

_Neji struggled out of his uncle's embrace until he let him go._

_He looked at his uncle accusingly, and in a heartbroken voice he whispered, "What did you do?"_

_With those final words four year old Neji collapsed onto the mud-filled earth clutching his chest as his heart literally broke in half._

End Flashback

His aunt and uncle had tried to get him inside and out of the downpour but he was impervious to their attempts.

All he could do was clutch his chest as his small frame was racked by endless sobs.

His father was dead; had given his life to the Hyuuga name, and four year old Neji had suffered for it.

After spending weeks in bed Neji was finally coaxed out of bed by his aunt, but the Neji that came out of that room was not the same Neji his family knew and loved. He would never be the same after that.

No more smiles graced his lips, no more pranks were devised by the young boy, and in a fit of rage he had thrown out his copy of 'Peter Pan'.

He never finished reading it.

Yes, Neji hated the Hyuuga name that had taken his father from him, and he would rather die than remain a captive in Hiashi's gilded cage—he would break free from the shackles of tradition.

No cost was too high.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. I'll see you tomorrow as we continue our discussion," stated a cheerful Gai-sensei.

Without waiting for the bell to ring Neji quickly gathered his stuff and got out of his seat just as the bell rang signaling the end of class.

Still lost in his memories, Neji made his way to 2nd period where he had Kakashi-sensei. Paying little attention to his surroundings the Hyuuga turned a corner and instantly collided with something hard before being knocked off his feet.

"What the Hell!"

For a second time stopped.

Neji's book bag lay sprawled on the floor while its owner, in no better condition, lay next to it.

Everyone was in shock. Hyuuga Neji had just been knocked off his feet.

Neji looked up, and realized that the hard something was actually a someone: a strange red-headed boy stood in front of him.

For a minute Neji was shocked. The boy was glaring at him.

'What the Hell,' he thought.

The nerve of the kid; HE was the one that had been thrown to the ground, not the red head in front of him and as such HE should be the one GLARING.

Before Neji could recover from his momentary stupor, the bell for 2nd period rang and everyone was snapped back to reality and headed to their classes before they were marked tardy.

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Gaara's POV

After hearing the bell ring, I cursed under my breathe before leaving the stupid idiot on the floor.

I had already been late for first period and now thanks to this damn bastard, who can't see where's he's going, I'm going to be late for 2nd period.

Damn it!

It had NOT been a good day.

Temari had come with me into the office to get both our schedules, and after receiving them, which took forever because the damn lady had to check our information and all that other crap, we only had 15 minutes before our first class started.

Seeing as today was our first day and we both didn't know the layout of the school, I had told her I would figure out by myself.

The school layout proved to be more difficult than what I had first anticipated.

After 10 minutes of trying to find room 85 I had finally had enough and would have just skipped class if not for a blonde boy.

He had noticed my dilemma and offered to help me find the damnable room.

The guy was around my age with sunny blond hair and ocean blue eyes.

After looking at my schedule he pointed me in the right direction and introduced himself, rather enthusiastically, as Uzumaki Naruto while holding out his hand with a huge smile plastered on his face.

I just looked at his hand, but before he noticed that I was not going to shake it, the bell rang.

The blonde in front of me yelped at the sound and quickly dashed away yelling something about being 'killed if I'm late again' by someone named Iruka.

Dismissing the guy's weird behavior I hurriedly made my way to where Naruto had indicated.

Not surprisingly, I lost my way in the throng of people who were also trying to get to class, and was 5 minutes late.

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Neji's POV

I was literally shocked. The boy who had knocked into me had the audacity to glare at ME! And not just any type of glare, it was a your-fucken-annoying type of glare.

'What the fuck was that!'

But before I had a chance to speak my mind the damn bell rang. I saw as the red head cursed under his breathe and left me on the fucken floor without a word.

That pissed me off.

I started to get up and had a mind to walk up to the bastard and teach him some manners but I was instantly surrounded by fan-girls.

After I swatted them away, which took some time, I barely made it to class on time.

If I see that red-head again he's going to be VERY sorry he every met Hyuuga Neji.

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Kakashi let the class settle in. He usually liked to get a feel for his students and there was no better way than simple observation. So, he left them to their own devices for about fifteen minutes and silently observed them.

Art wasn't about rules or regulations; rather it was about expressing one's inner-self and behavior was a part of that inner-self.

He noticed as the class split itself in two. The boys stayed in one side of the classroom while the girls kept to their side.

Many of the boys started to get into fights, nothing too serious so he let it be. Immaturity was to be expected.

The girls were either talking in groups about make-up, break-up's and the usual gossip, or they were busy fawning over the Hyuuga.

He noticed that Neji wasn't doing much. He did not interact with the rest of the boys nor did he pay attention to the girls that surrounded him. Although he was surrounded by people, he was isolated.

However, he did notice and couldn't help but wonder why he was seated alone, since the seats were arranged so that two people could occupy one small table. Kakashi wondered why the fan-girls swarming him did not try to sit by him, seeing as half of them were ogling the seat next to him as the prize of the year.

'This is going to be an interesting year,' thought Kakashi.

While he observed the class interact with each other—excluding one Hyuuga—he saw as one late straggler made his way into the class.

All Kakashi could see was blood red hair. The boy was unique from his tight black shirt barely covering his stomach to the blood red kanji tattooed over his left eye.

"So this is our new student," said a curious Kakashi to himself as he walked up to the red head.

"Looking for room 106?"

The red head did not answer, instead giving him a glare that said what-the-fuck-do-you-think-Einstein.

'Yep,' he thought. This was going to be an interesting year.

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So, there it is. Next chapter will actually have plot development. Surprising isn't it.

Next chapter, Gaara and Neji will find out that they have some classes with each other something neither is very happy about, and Neji's going to be even more pissed, when Gaara shows him up in class. We will also see some, not much, emotion out of the white-eyed Hyuga courteous of our favorite red head.

Reviews are appreciated.


	3. Ch 3: Interesting Observations

A/N:

Hello,

I would like to point out that although it might seem so at first this is not a highschool fic. I just wanted to make that clear now.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**Interesting Observations**_

Gaara was in a bad mood. He had been late for both periods already.

Entering the class ten minutes after the bell rang; the red-head was instantly bombarded by the sound of many conversations going on at once.

Groups of people were scattered around the room talking very loudly to each other while a silvered-haired man with a black mask covering all but his left eye just watched them from afar.

As soon as the masked man caught sight of him he noticed the momentary surprise that lit his features and simply dismissed it.

Gaara always had that effect on people and was used to it by now.

However, the silvered-haired man quickly recovered from his momentary stupor and began to make his way toward him.

After giving him a glare for the stupid question the man directed at him, Gaara simply shoved his schedule toward the man in front of him.

Kakashi frowned at the rudeness of the boy as he took the piece of paper that was literally shoved at his chest.

After reading it, he signaled Gaara (that's what the paper stated as the red-head's name) to follow him and lead him back to his desk.

Gaara simply followed.

Once at what he supposed was the art teacher's desk, he leaned on the wall beside it, and watched as the masked man pulled out a blow horn.

Gaara couldn't help but smirk, if you call a twitch of his lips a smirk, as the man used the noise maker on his unsuspecting students.

With a wicked smile on his face, Kakashi pressed the button on the blow horn he had gotten at a football game last year and watched as all conversation ceased and was instantly replaced by loud groans of protest.

The students in class had been too busy in their own little groups to pay attention to their art teacher so they hadn't noticed when Kakashi had pulled out the blow horn—or when a certain red-head had made his entrance.

They were still ignorant of the red-head's presence seeing as they had other matters on their minds like yelling protests to their cruel teacher.

Ignoring his student's accusations Kakashi stepped in front of his desk and introduced himself.

"This is room 106, the art room, if anyone is in the wrong class please exit the room as your peers make snide comments about your intellect."

No one moved.

"Ok, it seems everyone is where they're supposed to be. I am Hatake Kakashi; please call me Kakashi-sensei when addressing me in class. Any other variation of my name will result in a 1,000 word essay on the 'importance of following Kakashi-sensei's rules', and every offense after that will only add another 1,000 words, and so on. Any questions?"

Other than a couple of audible gulps, no one said a word.

"Good. Now, on to more important matters."

"Art—"

"Oh, before I forget, we have a new student today. Please make him feel welcomed," said the silver-haired teacher, while pointing in the red-head's direction.

All eyes turned to Gaara, who had previously been overlooked, and an array of reactions from curiosity to animosity graced the student's faces. One face in particular caught Kakashi and Gaara's eyes.

Sitting in the back of the room, Neji Hyuuga glared at the red-head with as much hostility as a lion would a leopard trying to take his kill.

Gaara returned the Hyuuga's glare with a much more hostile one that would have had any sane person running for their lives.

'_It seems the Hyuuga isn't so isolated after all,'_ thought Kakashi as a wicked grin spread over his features.

The silver-haired teacher decided to put an end to the glaring contest when he noticed that Gaara's glare, although directed at Neji, began to intimidate the other students in class.

"Gaara introduce yourself," prompted Kakashi, who was still sported his wicked smile.

"No," stated the red-head in a neutral voice.

"That was an order not a question," said the masked teacher in a casual tone as if one of his students hadn't just tested his authority.

Gaara knew that he would never hear the end of it from both his siblings if he got in trouble the first day. Kankuro would probably insist on calling him every time he got out of class just to make sure everything was alright.

He shuddered at the thought.

So, thinking it over, the red-head grudgingly made his way around the desk and stood in front of the class.

"My name is Gaara Sabaku."

He said no more.

"That was not an introduction," stated Kakashi, who had lost his grin and was beginning to get irritated at the red-head.

Never changing expressions or tone, Gaara continued on.

"I'm 16 years old."

Again nothing more was said by the red-head.

Annoyed now, Kakashi spoke up once more.

"I can always get your records from the office, and have them read to the class. Now, do you want to introduce yourself, or do you want ME to introduce you."

He could see why the usually emotionless Hyuuga had made an exception for the red head and engaged in a petty glaring contest with him.

Without any indication that he had heard, much less cared about Kakashi's threat, Gaara continued on.

"I have a sister, Temari, who is 17, and an older brother, Kankuro, who is 18. We moved to Konoha over the summer. Our parents are both dead, and we have no other relatives."

'_This was impossible,'_ thought Kakashi. So far Gaara had said nothing about himself, all he had given them were facts about his background.

"That's enough," sighed Kakashi. "You can sit down now."

Yep, he could definitely see how the red-head had gotten through the Hyuuga's usual stoic mask of indifference.

Gaara looked at the students who were currently sitting in their respectable seats, and caught sight of a familiar blonde who had the same smile from earlier plastered on his face.

The blonde noticed the red-head looking his way and began to wave at him enthusiastically as if they were old buddies. Sitting next to the blond, Gaara saw as a brown-haired guy with two painted marks on either side of his cheeks, struggled to hide a small dog underneath his jacket.

'_What the hell have I gotten myself into,'_ thought the red-head as the dog-boy smiled in triumph, finally succeeded in hiding his canine friend.

Gaara just ignored the scene that had just occurred in front of him. _'Better not to ask,'_ he thought. Instead he looked around the class in search for an empty seat.

Kakashi saw Gaara scoping out the class for an empty seat when he had a brilliant idea. Replacing his frown with another evil smirk, the silver-haired teacher spoke up.

"Since you and Neji seem to know each other so _well_ why don't you sit next him," said Kakashi pointing at the empty seat next to the Hyuuga.

Gaara glared at his art teacher, and in the back of the room, so did a certain white-eyed genius.

Mentally cursing his art teacher Neji watched as the boy who had collided with him and left him on the floor without an apology of any kind walked up to his table and took a seat next to him.

'_This was not going to be a good day,'_ thought Neji.

Next to him, the red-head repeated the same phrase to himself as the art teacher began to introduce the class to the wonderful world of art with much more enthusiasm than he normally would just to annoy the two figures sitting at the back of the room.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

**Neji's POV**

'_God, what a day.'_

After Kakashi-sensei finished giving his stupid lecture on 'art and its contribution to society' he had told the class that the current seating arrangements were permanent ones.

I mentally cursed him and his stupid class. Who needs art anyways?

I was only taking the damn class because it fulfilled one of my Gen. Ed. requirements, and it looked like it would be an easy A.

Boy was I wrong.

The rest of the day wasn't so bad—that is until a certain red-head walked into my 7th period chemistry class. I was literally stunned when I saw him enter the classroom.

'_What the fuck,'_ I thought as a scowl began to cloud my features. _'Oh, no. He can't be taking this class, he must have the wrong room, for goodness sake this is an AP chemistry class.' _

But like before he simply handed the instructor his schedule and after looking it over a smile from the instructor was the only answer I needed.

'_Bastard.'_

He had been late to class, which didn't surprise me, and refused to introduce himself—again, no surprise there.

Our teacher, Anko-sensei, had seemed a little off the wall, but I've had Gai-sensei as a teacher. Nothing can compete with that strange man; so I gave her a chance.

I will never make that mistake again.

Once the red-head had given his schedule to Anko-sensei, she told him to sit on the far right table, where I was currently the ONLY occupant.

It was just like De Ja Vu. Next thing I know, Anko-sensei is telling the class that our current seats will be our permanent seats for the year, and that we better get to know our partners since we would be doing some projects with them throughout the year.

'_Great,'_ I thought to myself.

I get to sit next to that anti-social guy all year long in two classes. This is just great—and here I thought we were supposed to enjoy senior year. It'd be a miracle if I didn't beat the guy up before school finished.

Anko-sensei continued her lecture (that a certain red-head had interrupted) on classroom protocol and regulations. Her five minute lecture ended with the announcement of a pop quiz, and as expected it was met with audible groans and complaints from the class.

I was a little chagrined about the arrangements, which was clearly visible with the frown that graced my features, but other than that I simply accepted the inevitable. One can't fight fate.

I noticed that the red-head sitting next to me was un-phased by the announcement. He hadn't even glared, which startled me since it was obviously his favorite response to just about everything.

"Okay class," said a cheerful Anko-sensei, "good-luck and remember you only have thirty minutes. Don't worry if you can't answer most of the questions, I don't expect you get them all right, I just want to get a feel for what you already know."

Still in a cheerful mood, she passed out the quiz.

After thirty minutes had gone by, she collected the quizzes and left us to our own devices while she began to grade them.

I had about twenty minutes to kill and the only person to talk to—not that I wanted to socialize or anything—was the anti-social red-head next to me.

I casually glanced at him and noticed he was reading **_Watchers_**.

'_A Dean Koontz novel,'_ I thought to myself.

At least he has _some_ taste in books. I've read a couple of his novels, and found them to be erringly pleasing, especially when read at night.

Seeing as I had nothing else to do, I looked around the class noting familiar faces. There were a couple of girls trying to attract my attention but I just pretended that I hadn't noticed their very obvious attempts to wave me over to their table.

Although being very popular, I'm not much of a social person. I'm civil to people, but I never pretend to like someone I clearly hate.

Growing up in the Hyuuga mansion where politicians, lawyers, and other people of the same class frequently visited Hiashi had placed me in constant contact with these people, and as a result, I developed an innate ability to read an individual's motives and easily detect their lies.

A person who smiled at you sweetly while planning to stab you in the back (figuratively speaking) were everyday guests at the mansion, and I had grown to despise them all.

I'm reminiscing again.

**_Damn it_**. That's twice in one day.

In a feeble attempt to take my mind off unpleasant thoughts, I glanced at the red-head beside me. He seemed absorbed in his book, and didn't notice me openly staring at him.

This time I took my time to really see him, and in one full sweep, I took in all of him.

Messy blood-red hair engulfed my vision. He had the type of hair that just begged to be touched, and the locks that fell in his eyes did not go unnoticed by me. To my utter astonishment, my hands itched to brush those strands of red hair, but I was snapped out these thoughts as I saw the blood-red Kanji just above his left eye.

I was shocked that I could have missed the blood-red tattoo that stood out against his porcelain white skin in our first encounter, but soon realized how anyone could have missed it once they gazed into his deep teal eyes. Green and blue blurred into each other so that I saw one color one instant and another the next. Those eyes dominated his face and the black kohl he wore only served to bring them out even more.

'_Wow,'_ I thought to myself, " _and the rest of him isn't that bad either. How could I have overlooked such a distinctive person?"_

He had a lithe frame, but I could see some muscle indentation in his arms and stomach—he obviously worked out, although it was not too noticeable unless you were actually looking the guy over just like I was doing.

Shit.

Were did that come from? I was not looking him over. Damn it.

Just as I was mentally cursing myself, I caught sight of those same startling eyes directed my way, but unlike before, they now reflected a fierce green shade.

He was glaring at me. No surprise there.

I simply gave him a bland stare as if I had no idea why he was glaring at me.

The staring contest would have gone on, had Anko-sensei not interrupted our little battle of will's.

"Okay class, I have graded your quizzes and was a little disappointed with some of you," she said while directing her gaze to some guys in the third table, next to mine, "and I was pleasantly amazed by others of you." As she said this she looked toward my table.

I smirked to myself, I had obviously gotten the highest score. I was considered a genius and as such I always received the highest grades in my class. There was no doubt in anybody's mind who this year's Valedictorian was going to be.

"Neji, could you tutor me?" asked one of the girls across the room.

"Me too," another fan-girl put in.

"Come on Neji, you got the best score, you're the smartest person in class. Can't you just help us out a little?"

They were ganging up on me now, and pretty soon Anko-sensei would most likely ask me to tutor some of the students if things kept going as they were. It never failed to happen in all of my classes. The teachers would ask me to tutor a group of students, who were mainly composed of fan-girls, and since I had no real excuse to back out of it, I was always stuck tutoring a bunch of obsessed fan-girls, with an occasional individual who actually attended the tutoring sessions for the class and not for the tutor.

"Why do you think Neji got the highest score?" asked a confused Anko-sensei.

"Neji always get the best scores," stated a loyal fan-girl.

"Duh," another confirmed.

"Well, I must admit, he did quite well only missing four out of the twenty problems," said Anko-sensei.

'_What a minute,' _I thought_ 'that's a B, I don't get B's I get A's.'_

"Then, who got the highest score?" asked a curious Lee, who was also in my class.

The class waited eagerly for the sensei's response. _'Who could have beaten the Hyuuga prodigy?'_ they all wondered.

"Gaara did, he got a perfect score."

They all turned toward the red-head, who hadn't even noticed the attention directed at him.

"Gaara, could you tutor me?" asked an excited Lee. He wanted to be the first to claim the new guy before others started asking him to be their tutor, and sure enough right after his enthusiastic outburst, others started swarming him.

The red-head had simply dismissed their attempts to grab his attention until they eventually left him and began to talk to their friends, and pretty soon conversations broke out around the class.

I was dumbfounded, although I didn't show it.

'_He beat my score? How was that possible, how could he have gotten them all right?'_

Next to me, I felt a pair of eyes burning holes into me. I tried to ignore it, but the feeling only intensified, until I eventually gave in and with an air of indifference, I spoke in an irritated, yet controlled voice.

"What do you want Sabaku? I can practically feel the holes your eyes are trying to drill into me."

"You're Hyuuga Neji."

It was a statement. Fact.

It was the first time I had heard him speak, and I was pleasantly surprised that he had a low-husky voice that sounded sinfully wrong when he said my name in that tone of his.

I turned my body to face him, and replied.

"Yes, the same person you left on the floor without an apology of any kind after having knocked into me," I said in an angry tone. I was still pissed at him for the incident this morning.

He ignored my angry tone, and in the same low voice he continued on.

"You're the Uchiha's friend." Again another statement.

"Why do you care?" I growled out with more venom than I intended.

'_Was he interested in Sasuke?_'

"I don't. Naruto asked me to give this to him, and since I don't like the Uchiha I wanted you to give it to him."

As he said this he pulled out a small box with a note on the top that Naruto had scrawled in big bold orange letters.

_**I WIN, BASTARD.**_

Keeping his eyes on my face, he slid the small box in my hand. Even though it only lasted a moment, I could feel the feather light contact all the way to my toes.

Since he kept his gaze on my face, I did the same and restrained myself from looking down at the spot where his ivory fingers had just brushed my skin, and it was only by sheer willpower that I kept my mask of indifference in place.

After giving me the box, the red-head kept his gaze on me as if trying to discern something but eventually let it go.

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

Before I knew it the bell rang and the students eagerly left the class. I was still a little shaken by the little episode that had just occurred, but decided to push it out of my mind for the time being. Stuffing the small box in my pocket, I quickly gathered my things and headed out the door and out to the parking lot where I usually met up with Sasuke.

As usual, Sasuke was late. His excuse being that he had the _dobe_ in his last class as if that explained why he was late.

I narrowed my eyes at him, I hated waiting.

Sasuke looked at me, and rolled his eyes. He was used to this. So, he opted to explain rather than hang out with an angry Hyuuga—he didn't want to go home this early in the day.

Apparently, Naruto had thrown a spit ball at him as soon as class was over. Interpreting it as a challenge to his pride, Sasuke had stealthily chased the blonde until he cornered him in the boys locker room where he was about to 'teach him a lesson of a lifetime for daring to challenge the great Uchiha Sasuke' when the PE teacher walked in.

Asuma-sensei had just dismissed it as a case of 'boys being boys', and told both of them that 'if they wanted to play, then they should play outside'. Obviously, Sasuke didn't take this well and _'informed'_ Asuma-sensei of his _thoughts_ on the subject matter—quite loudly. While Naruto did the same but in his case stating that 'he wasn't a little kid to be playing outside with the bastard and that if he wanted to _play_ he wouldn't _play_ with a spoiled rich kid who was as much fun as a rock and that—' unfortunately Naruto wasn't able to get anything else out since he was tackled by an angry Sasuke right in front of Asuma-sensei.

Unsurprisingly, they both received a month's detention from Asuma-sensei, who had no choice but to punish them for fighting even if it was 'playful fighting'. After the incident with the PE teacher, Sasuke left Naruto with a few well chosen parting words that left the blonde yelling obscenities at the departing Uchiha.

Sasuke then proceeded to make his way to his car where I was angrily waiting for his arrival.

'_Typical,'_ I thought with irritation.

Those two had been at it since middle school and they still couldn't admit how they felt about each other. Not even to themselves.

I'm an expert at reading people, and I clearly saw Sasuke's infatuation with the boy, and Naruto was easy enough to read. However, I didn't say anything about it since I knew Sasuke didn't even know how he felt about the blonde. So like many times before I simply listened to the Uchiha rant about the _dobe_ and left it at that.

We both got into our cars and headed over to _Gideon's_.

_Gideon's_ was a small restaurant slash bar slash lounge. It was a place where one could go to relax while people discreetly waited on you as not to disturb your peace. It was the perfect hang-out place for us, and we had often stayed there until dark—neither one of us was in a particular hurry to get back home.

A little after seven o'clock, we decided to part ways, and as I walked up to my car my hand accidentally brushed the small box in my pocket.

Remembering the incident this morning, I called out to Sasuke who looked up just as he finished opening his car door. Once I had his attention, I threw the box at him and watched as he effortlessly plucked it from the air.

As soon as he caught it he looked at me for an explanation. I just told him to read the note and he would know.

Without waiting for him to do so, I got in my car and turned on the ignition. Giving Sasuke a last good-bye which he didn't even notice since he had a stunned looked on his face, before I sped off to the Hyuuga mansion.

'_Must have been something interesting in that box,_' I thought to myself.

I got back to the Hyuuga mansion a little over 7:30 pm. I came in through the front and immediately made my way through the maze of the mansion and headed toward my room before anyone tried to stop me or question me about my day. I was almost to my room when I heard my name called out just as I turned the last corner.

'_Damn it," _I thought.

Making sure I had my mask of indifference in place, I turned to the owner of the voice—I already knew who it was.

**End Neji's POV**

x _x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

**Gaara's POV**

'**_FUCKEN HELL!'_**

I had been late for ALL of my stupid ass classes. Not just a couple, not even most of them—no I had been late to **ALL** of them.

All I wanted was to finish off the day and go home.

As I walked into my AP chemistry class, I was met by opaque lavender eyes. The owner of those eyes had immediately broken out in a scowl as soon as I walked in the class.

'_At least I don't have to look for him.' _I thought to myself.

Ignoring the fuming Hyuuga, I handed the instructor my schedule. She asked me to introduce myself something I promptly ignored.

Seeing as I wasn't going to say anything, Anko-sensei simply announced my name to the class and told me to sit in the last table since all the other tables were full. At this announcement, I could practically taste the venom the Hyuuga threw at me with his eyes. He was the only occupant of that table and it seemed he didn't want to share.

I inwardly smirked at this. This was going to be an interesting year.

Anko-sensei finished her lecture and gave the class a pop quiz. No one was happy with this arrangement. Next to me, I noticed as a frown appeared on the Hyuuga's face. It seemed he wasn't too happy with the news either.

I didn't really care. I had already taken chemistry while I was being tutored at home, and that was harder than anything Anko-sensei could throw at me.

I swear, Father probably paid the damn tutors extra if I failed their particular subject because they all practically tried to make everything extra difficult—or maybe they just didn't like me, who knows.

All the courses I took at home were taught by angry middle-aged tutors, who didn't even try to teach me instead I had to learn everything on my own with the help of my books. The tests were extremely difficult and if my grades did start to slip to an A- (God forbid); Father was always more than happy to punish me for 'making him waste his money on someone who didn't have the decency to study for his exams'.

I did study; I spent my days and nights studying. I knew full well what awaited me if I got less than 100 percent.

The Cell.

"Are you going to take it or not?" asked a rather annoyed Hyuuga while holding out the quiz paper to me.

I shook myself from my thoughts and grabbed the paper the Hyuuga had apparently been trying to give me for the last minute. Giving me one last glance, he simply ignored my weird behavior and turned his attention to the quiz in front of him. Following his example, I turned my attention away from old memories and concentrated on the first question.

I finished the quiz with ten minutes to spare; it was surprisingly easy. Having nothing else to do with the remaining time, I simply let my eyes wander. A lot of the students were having a hard time with the quiz, and I noticed that the Hyuuga next to me was almost done; however, he was currently stuck on a problem.

I watched as his hand ran through his long brown locks of hair in an unconscious gesture of frustration. His pink lips were spread in a frown, while his opaque eyes gained a darker shade of lavender.

The Hyuuga looked quite catching when he was frustrated I noted. A fact I was pleased to know.

As soon as the quizzes were collected, I took out my Dean Koontz novel, and pretended to read it. I needed some time to come up with a plan.

After second period with Kakashi sensei, Naruto had come up to me and asked me if I wanted to hang out with him and his friends. I didn't answer him, not knowing if he was serious or not. However, it didn't really matter since I had him in my fourth period class. When the lunch bell rang he simply walked up to me and started talking about the day's events while leading the way to his table.

We walked outside and headed for a group of people who had gathered around a table underneath a large cherry blossom. Once we reached the table, Naruto introduced me to his friends while they did the same.

The dog-boy was the first to introduce himself to me. Apparently his name was Kiba Inuzuka, and he was a big conservationist, especially when it came to endangered animals such as the gray wolf. Shino Aburame signaled his presence with a nod of his head, but Kiba soon introduced him. It seemed that Shino was particularly interested in rare insects, and like Kiba he was also a big conservationist and environmentalist. Obviously, they were both very good friends and often went to protest rally's together.

To shy to come up to me, a pretty white-eyed girl, waved at me from her seat, and introduced herself as Hinata Hyuuga.

She was Neji's cousin. Interesting.

Following Hinata's example, Choji Akimichi waved at me from his seat, and told me a couple of things about himself and the sleeping guy next to him, who hadn't bothered to wake up at my arrival.

Choji was supposed to be a very good chef and herbalist. He offered me his help if I ever needed either, or anything else for that matter. Then he proceeded to introduce the snoozing guy next to him. His name was Shikamaru Nara, who was supposed to be a genius when he actually bothered to try. He was laziest guy in school, but had one of the highest IQ's in the nation. I highly doubted that last bit of information but kept my opinions to myself.

Not being a very patient person, Naruto soon got tired with all the introductions, and began to talk in an animated voice about his day. The rest of the group followed his example and broke out in different conversations with the obvious exception of the lazy genius who said something about 'how troublesome all these introductions were', and quickly got back to his earlier occupation—sleeping.

I just listened to all of them talk about their day, even the shy Hyuuga girl gave a few comments here and there.

I was a little overwhelmed with everything that was happening, I had just been introduced to some of Naruto's friends, and they had all just simply accepted me without a second thought.

Other than my brother and sister, I had never been so easily accepted and it felt strange.

I never believed I could ever be accepted by anyone being the murderer that I am.

Father had repeatedly told me that I was only capable of bringing death and heartbreak to those around me, and so far he had been right.

It was my fault why Kankuro had to stay up at night in order to calm a frightened Temari down. She sometimes had nightmares about me and what occurred in that dank basement back in Suna. Every time she started whimpering in her sleep, Kankuro would shoot out of bed and run to her aid. He would immediately wake her up, and try to calm her uncontrolled trembling. They tried to be quiet not wanting to disturb me, but I always knew. I usually stood outside Temari's door listening to Kankuro's whispered words of comfort.

If it wasn't for me, Temari's dreams wouldn't be plagued by nightmares of the past, while a tired Kankuro desperately tried to keep us from simply falling apart.

After he received custody of Temari and me, he had done everything he could to keep us together, emotionally speaking. Temari had been in pieces, while I was simply my emotionless self—I had long ago lost the ability to feel such things.

Yet he still asked me every once in a while how I was coping. He didn't want me to suffer alone as I knew he had been doing.

Although he tried to hide it from me, I could see the pain reflected in his eyes ever time he asked me about old times. The guilt would eat at him until all he saw was his own failure as a brother.

He blames himself for not putting an end to Father's treatment of me.

From outside his room, I would often listen to Temari's whispered words of encouragement as she tried to reassure a broken Kankuro. On these rare occasions Temari would pick up the mantle and comfort her older brother. She tried to console him while he had a guilt attack, and would convince him to stop berating himself for things he had no control over.

If it wasn't for me, Kankuro wouldn't feel so guilty or feel he was a failure as a brother.

They're both very careful around me, making sure not to bring up any bad memories. They don't understand that I hate the fact that they have to tip-toe around me. I'm not one of my glass sculptures to break so easily.

It seems Father was right; all I've brought to my siblings is heartbreak, while death was the gift I graced both my parents with.

By being born I brought death to my mother, and by living I had slowly killed my father. Growing up, he would often tell me that I drove him to drink—the reason why he got in the car accident that killed him.

He would blame me for the beating's he bestowed on me, stating that 'being the disgusting murderer that I was he had no other choice'.

It was all my fault.

As I listened to the lively conversation around me, I realized that this easy camaraderie could never be mine. Misery was the only thing I've ever brought to the people around me, and I if I stayed and accepted their friendship misery would be what awaited them. I didn't want to destroy their happy lives as I had destroyed my own family's.

Without saying a word, I walked away from temptation, and my one chance of normalcy.

However, I didn't get very far. A restraining hand on my shoulder, stopped me in my tracks.

Naruto had noticed my abrupt departure.

"Oi Gaara, where are you going?" he asked in a curious tone.

"Away," I said in an indifferent voice while shrugging his hand off of me.

"Why? You just got here," and in a more mischievous tone he added, "besides, if you leave now, you won't get to see me beat the bastard Uchiha."

I just looked at him.

'_What the hell was he taking about?'_

Seeing the confusion on my face, Naruto began to explain the reason behind his cheerful attitude today. Apparently, the Uchiha had made a bet with him a few year's ago.

Naruto had just turned 13, and Sasuke being a couple of months older than him had teased Naruto for his young age. Stating that he had already turned 13 and that he didn't see what the big deal was. In his teasing, Sasuke had thrown a certain object in the middle of a lake and had jokingly bet Naruto that he would never be able to recover it. However, the blond had taken the bet seriously, and had searched for the object ever since, until this summer when he had finally found it.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him," Naruto exclaimed.

He smiled in anticipation, barely restraining himself from jumping in the air and yelling his victory over the Uchiha to the entire school.

As he spoke on about this Sasuke guy I could see as his features lit up. The blonde obviously liked the guy. I could hear it in his voice every time he spoke about him.

Next thing I knew, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch—Naruto had talked to me the entire break.

Naruto blushed in embarrassment when he noticed he had rambled on about Sasuke the entire lunch period.

"Why don't you just tell him," I told him.

"What!"

His cheeks had turned an even darker shade of red.

"I don't know what your talking about," he said in a very unconvincing tone.

I simply smirked.

"He's right behind you."

Eyes bulging, Naruto instantly spun around looking for a certain black-eyed Uchiha. Finding no trace of him, he immediately turned an accusing finger on me.

"That wasn't funny."

"If you didn't like him, then why did you panic when I told you he was behind you."

"I didn't. I was just," I simply watched on in mild amusement as he tried to grope for an explanation "surprised. Yeah, that's it. I didn't expect the bastard to be behind me, and your words just surprised me."

"Do you actually expect me to believe that lame excuse?"

Naruto looked down and began to play with his thumbs, and in an almost pitiful yet hopeful voice he answered with a yes.

"Coward," I said.

"Hey, it isn't that easy ok," he yelled at me, and in a total change of mood his face lit up like the sun.

"Gaara, you have to help me."

"Huh. Wait it a minute. Fuck that. I'm not helping you. You're the one in love with him," I practically spat out. I am not the 'Good Samaritan' type.

"But Gaara," Naruto whined while clinging to my arm, "you have to help me out. You know the type of coward I am. I could never sum up the courage to tell him. Why don't you do it," he asked me with stars practically glittering in his eyes.

"Hell no," I stated in a completely flat and emotionless tone.

"Why are you so mean? Come on, what type of friend are you?"

The word friend stuck a cord in me. _'How could he consider me a friend after such a short while of knowing me?'_

Naruto seeing that his whining was actually getting to me, decided not to pressure me to much.

"Look, why don't you just give him this for me," as he said this he pulled out a small box that had a note attached to it.

"Fine," I growled out.

I would give it to that Hyuuga guy, he was the Uchiha's friend after all.

I roughly grabbed the small box from his hand and stuffed it in my side pocket.

"Thanks Gaara," Naruto yelled with a smile covering his face. I walked away all the while cursing myself for falling so easily for such a pathetic tactic.

Not ten seconds after Naruto's departing words of thanks the bell rang indicating the start of class.

"Fuck!"

I was late for 6th period. This is just fucken great. Stupid Naruto.

Still lost in my thoughts, I had forgotten about the Hyuuga next to me. I still needed to give him the damn box, but as I put down the book I noticed he was a little _preoccupied_ at the moment.

If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn he was checking me out.

He was looking at me like a starved man who had just found something to sate his ravenous hunger. Without blinking, he roamed my body with those all seeing eyes, and I had to will myself not to squirm from his close scrutiny.

After a few minutes of desperately trying to remain still I noted that the Hyuuga still continued his inspection.

That's it; he was pissing me off now. I glared at him for his audacity with my who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you-are-looking-at-me-that-way glare.

That got his attention. Like a man waking up from a dream, he looked up at me as if he had no idea why I was glaring at him.

The Hell he didn't know. He wasn't fooling anyone with that bland look he sent my way, and I wasn't going to let him get off that easily.

I would have won had Anko-sensei not interrupted our little battle of will's (I knew what he had been doing, while he pretended he had no idea why I was glaring at him)

Lucky bastard.

Anko-sensei had finished grading our quizzes. The fan-girls that followed the Hyuuga around began to make a big commotion about having Neji tutor them. I simply ignored them, I still needed to find a way to give the damn box to Neji.

"Gaara, could you tutor me?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by an excited guy clad in a green jumpsuit.

'_What the fuck?'_

On his heels the rest of the class began to beg me to tutor them.

'_Fuck that,'_ I thought.

Never in a million years would I consider tutoring any of them, so I simply ignored their attempts to get me to agree.

Eventually, they gave up and left me to my own devices.

Good riddance.

Now back to my problem.

I only had a couple of minutes before the bell rang, and I still didn't know how I was supposed to give the Hyuuga the damn box stuffed in my side pocket. In frustration, I unconsciously began to glare at the white-eyed genius next to me, and next thing I know, the Hyuuga spoke to me in an irritated voice.

At his words, a fit of nerves began to take a hold of me, which I quickly pushed away—I had no reason to feel such things. He had given me an opening, and I wasn't about to let it go.

Never taking my eyes from his face, I gave him the box and told him to give it to the Uchiha. Never changing expression or removing his eyes from me, he accepted it.

Yet, he wasn't totally indifferent to the exchange. As I placed the box in his open-palmed hand, I felt an almost indistinct flinch. Although barely noticeable, I still felt it, and was intrigued by it. I kept my eyes on him a little longer than was needed but he gave nothing away. Deciding to leave it be for the time being, I dropped my gaze.

The bell rang a little afterwards, and I quickly gathered my book and left without a word of good-bye.

Book-bag in tow, I walked to the parking lot where Temari had told me to meet her. When I got there Temari was nowhere to be seen. Of course she was late, it was only natural.

I leaned on the midnight blue mustang and let my mind drift while I waited for her. My thoughts drifted to a particular set of opaque lavender eyes. However, not two minutes after, I heard Temari's voice call my name. I snapped back to reality and glared at her for being late.

"Gaara," she said in a cheerful voice, "how was school?"

"…"

"That great huh. Well, get in. Let's go home."

Turning up her music, she turned on the car and in less than two seconds she sped out of the parking lot. Cutting off three cars, she quickly made a sharp right before she steered the mustang into incoming traffic. As she did this, she waved at the cursing people she left behind.

'_Typical_,' I thought. Temari had never been one to follow the rules when it came to driving or anything else for that matter. She always found a way around such things.

Settling in for the ride, I watched as Temari began to sing along to "Hotel California" by The Eagles.

When we got home, Temari asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner. Shrugging my shoulders in a gesture of indifference I picked up my book bag and headed inside.

When I got to my room I dropped my book bag on the floor, walked to my desk and took out my sketch book and a set of colored pencils. The day hadn't been a total waste after all.

Since leaving Suna, I hadn't had any real inspiration, but I had met a few interesting people today, especially a certain white-eyed genius. His eyes had intrigued me, it wasn't the strangeness of them, if it was just that I would have been content enough with drawing his cousin's eyes since they were physically the same. However, the Hyuuga's eyes held a storm of emotion just waiting to spill out, and I wanted to be there when it did.

"Neji"

I whispered his name to the empty room, letting it roll off my tongue wanting to catch every syllable.

White eyes engulfed my vision and I began to make plans in order to make my vision a reality.

I would drive into town over the weekend pick up the chemicals I needed. I recalled finishing all the antimony oxide, and quickly made a mental note to buy more of it since I wanted to use an array of white.

Satisfied with my thoughts, I plopped down on my bed and making myself comfortable, I began to sketch a rough outline of my next piece.

**End Gaara's POV**

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

**Neji's POV**

"Yes," I asked in a neutral tone.

"Neji, where have you been? You missed dinner," stated Hiashi in a calm voice.

"I was with Sasuke. I already ate."

I kept my mask of indifference in place under Hiashi's scrutiny.

Hiashi frowned at my brazen tone but did not comment on it.

"You should spend more time at home, Neji. Other than breakfast, you hardly spend anytime with the family, and you never eat dinner with us anymore. What's wrong?" asked Hiashi concerned laced in his voice.

"I have no family here," I growled out before continuing on in an angry tone, "and as such I have no reason to attend. I've been locked in the Hyuuga mansion too long already to spend more time in it than necessary. I'm already your prisoner, there's no need to play the part of the sympathetic jailor. You've already taken everything I've ever cared about, and made sure I can never live my own life—"

"Neji," interrupted Hiashi, eyes wide in shock, "you know that your part of this family, you're like a son to me, and I—."

"Shut up," I screamed, fist clenched, "I am not your goddamn son, and don't you dare call me that again."

Trying to desperately hold my boiling rage, I took a deep breathe and in a cold tone as I could produce I continued on.

"I am Hizashi's son—the brother you killed—, and none of your pathetic excuses will bring him back…nor my mother."

As I said this, I looked him in the eye, daring him to contradict me.

"She was still alive after the plane crash wasn't she. All she needed to do was wait for the rescue party. You had her location and knew she hadn't suffered any major injuries; had she not been infected she would still be alive today—because of **YOU**, and your fucken traditions, they're both dead."

I looked at him as he fell speechless to my accusations.

All Hiashi could do was stare down at the floor not wanting to look at the hateful look plastered on my face—he had no way to defend himself.

"That's what I thought," I said before passing him as I made my way to my prison.

**End Neji's POV**

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

I hope you all liked it, I tried to incorporate more characters in this one so it was a bit longer than usual. Well, I still need to get more in plot wise, but I think this was okay. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but with school going on, I can't promise anything. Again, I would like to make it clear that this is not a high school fic.

Any reviews are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks. ;)


	4. Ch 4: A Case of Malady

A/N:

Hello,

Sorry about the late update, but exams were taking up my time. Hope you enjoy reading it, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an

AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

_**A Case of Malady**_

"I can't wait for Halloween!" exclaimed a jubilant Naruto.

In his excitement he had smacked Gaara on the back earning him a very hostile glare from the red-head sitting next to him.

"Sheesh. Calm down, Naruto," Kiba said in a slightly annoyed tone, although he was also secretly thrilled about the upcoming holiday. I mean, who wouldn't be?

It was the one night of the year where you could dress up and run around at night, all the while acting like little children. If that wasn't great enough, people actually gave away FREE candy simply for knocking on their door. What could be better than that?

Yep, Kiba really liked Halloween.

Beneath a cherry tree, the rest of group was gathered around a table each eating their home-made lunch.

"What a troublesome holiday. Why would anyone want to cut down on their sleep time just for a few pieces of candy?"

Clearly not understanding the fascination everyone had with the holiday, Shikamaru simply shook his head as if it was all just too troublesome to deal with.

"What?" yelled a rather shocked blue-eyed blonde, "you would rather sleep than go trick-or-treating! Shikamaru, I am going to PERSONALLY drag your ass out this Halloween and you WILL have fun even if I have to BEAT it into you!"

"Geez, Naruto. Kill him why don't you," Kiba said in the same tone while rolling his eyes at Naruto's Halloween mania, "besides, you'll probably have to literally drag him around all night. He'll probably fall asleep on you as soon as you turn your back."

"W-why don't we all d-do something t-to-ge-ther?" Hinata shyly asked.

At 16 she was still shy but not as shy as she'd been at age 13 when their group had first formed.

Back then, she had had a school girl crush on Naruto, but was too shy to even think about telling him. But, as time passed she discovered that her feelings for the blonde boy were merely of admiration. She admired Naruto for his self-confidence, courage, and above all she admired his boldness.

Naruto was everything she was not. He embodied qualities she had always wanted in herself, yet could never display being the timid girl she was; however, she was slowly learning how to step out of her shy cocoon which was more than she had ever thought possible.

"What did you have in mind Hinata?" asked Choji.

He was also fond of the holiday, and spending Halloween with his friends sounded like a good idea.

Hinata was taken by surprise, she had just thought it would be nice to spend Halloween with her friends; she hadn't really thought about doing anything in particular.

"Ah-Ah-h…I-I didn't really ha-have anything in mind," she stuttered out.

"It's okay Hinata," Naruto spoke up, earning a grateful smile from the shy girl, "why don't we all think about it. We can throw some ideas out next time we meet, hopefully that'll give us enough time to come up with something good."

Everyone nodded in agreement, spending their remaining lunch hour eagerly talking about possible things they could do on Halloween.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

Two months had passed by without much incident. Naruto and Gaara had become very close in that time and spent a considerable amount of time with each other, something that did not escape Kankuro's or Temari's notice.

They had been a little surprised that their anti-social little brother had made friends so quickly—considering his apathetic attitude.

However, once they met the energetic ball of sunshine also known as Naruto, they immediately understood how the blonde boy had gotten passed Gaara's usual cold exterior. They were grateful to the blonde for bringing some happiness to their little brother, although Gaara didn't show it, they could see the subtle difference that engulfed his personality.

Gaara was less paranoid and a little more open, even going as far as speaking to them in complete sentences.

Moving to Konoha had been a good move on their part and as time slowly passed by the Sabaku siblings began to understand that family was more than shared chromosomes—it was the awareness that whatever happened, be it good or bad, they would always have someone to share it with.

Growing up in their father's household, simple things such as a shared moment of happiness with another was a rare occurrence, especially when dinner time came around. All three siblings new what dinner time meant—shared time with their father (if he happened to be home).

However, shared moments with their father were never happy.

Back in Suna, dinner was a formal play where everyone had a part to play. The rise of the curtain occurred on cue when the grandfather clock dinged the 7 o'clock hour announcing the start of dinner and Act I.

A blonde female would enter the scene eyes a little dimmed with sadness. Not far behind her a tall teenage male with messy brown hair would enter via a side door. At his arrival, sad eyes gained a little light and the female gave a genuine smile to her older brother.

The two would talk to each other for a few minutes, each asking about their day always being careful to stay away from the subject of family.

As the seconds ticked away and slowly turned to minutes, the mood of the two siblings would hover between a sense of happiness that their small chats induced, and the impending doom that would soon make its presence known, but had yet to make his appearance.

Happiness was an ever fleeting joy the two experienced, and as the clock struck ten minutes after the hour the ever present essence that hovered over their happiness would make his way into the scene.

Striding to his seat at the head of the table without any greetings towards his two children, the father of the two would take his seat and gesture to them to sit as well.

Not wanting to make their father angry, the two would immediately take their seats across from each other. By this time, the food had already been served by the blonde female, and the three of them would start dinner never waiting for the fourth member of the family to arrive.

A few minutes into the meal, a small red-head would enter the scene and thus Act II could now commence.

At the sight of the late arrival, the mood of the table would instantly fall for all knew what was to come.

The father would sometimes ignore the last of his offspring, but most of the time he would make his opinion known.

The youngest Sabaku had no choice but to endure another meal of torment with his father, who had no qualms of making his life a little more miserable with his calculated comments, and so Act II would be a long scene in which the youngest child was emotionally abused by the person who was supposed to love him without reservation.

As the scene came to a close, the young red-head would lower his head all the while trying desperately to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall from his red lashes, while his father looked on at his struggles with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Act III, the final Act, would always be the most unpredictable; it ended according to the mood of the father of the three. If he was satisfied that he had made the youngest suffer enough, he would simply exit the scene and head toward his study were he would pour himself a bottle of Scotch. However, if he was unsatisfied with the red-head's suffering he would stay in his seat and start a conversation with his children. Both older siblings loathed these occurrences because they knew it did not bode well for their little brother.

Act III came to an end when the youngest of the three finally began to believe his father's words as truth, and see himself as his father saw him—a disgusting monster.

**However, that was the past**.

Now dinner time commenced when Temari's patience had finally reached its limit and she would yell at her two brothers to come down to dinner.

If she was in a particular nasty mood she would threaten their manhood as punishment for late arrivals. Not wanting to lose his precious buddy, Kankuro would hurriedly make his way downstairs only stopping by his little brother's room fully ready to drag him downstairs, and thus saving him from a fate worst than death.

Gaara wasn't one to be moved by threats, but according to Kankuro's way of thinking, he needed to set his priorities straight, and keeping your precious little buddy safe was a top priority for any guy.

On this particular night, Kankuro found Gaara's room empty. Assuming that his younger brother had already gone downstairs, he immediately made his way to the kitchen.

"Glad you could join us," Temari commented at his arrival.

"I was checking if Gaara was still in his room," he said by way of explanation, "you know how he is—no sense of self-preservation."

Smirking at her brother's words, the blonde simply pointed at the seat next to her where a young red-head was currently glaring at the brown-haired Sabaku.

Seeing his brother glaring at him, Kankuro simply let out a sigh—typical.

Dinner went by smoothly with only a few comments here and there about the days events. As Temari got up to check on the chocolate chip cookies currently cooling on the kitchen counter, the oldest Sabaku began to talk to his younger brother.

"So, what have you been up to lately?"

"…"

"Hmm, sounds interesting."

"…"

"So…how's the little ball of sunshine doing? Has he dragged you to the mall lately? Last time he managed to haul you down there he seemed a little more excited than usual."

Crossing his arms, Gaara turned his head, the perfect picture of a pouting child.

"He did not drag me anywhere. I DECIDED to go with him to keep him out of trouble, knowing him he would probably manage to burn down a shop."

"HA! HA! HA! HA!"

Kankuro clutched his stomach as he broke out in peals of laughter. It was always amusing to see Gaara behave like an innocent child.

"Who are you kidding with that lame explanation?"

In response, Gaara turned an I'm-going-to-bash-your-head-in-with-bat glare on Kankuro's laughing frame.

"What lame explanation?" asked a curious Temari while balancing a plate of cookies in her left hand. She had walked into the kitchen only to find Kankuro laughing so hard he had to hold on to the table top to keep himself from falling off his chair.

'Men are weird,' she thought as she raised an eyebrow at her brother's theatrics.

Gaara was soon distracted by the sight of chocolate chip cookies, and dropped the glare he was sending his older brother.

Noticing the attention Gaara was placing on the cookies, Temari set the plate down in front of him.

"Here. Take your pick," she said with a smile.

Gaara turned teal eyes on her, and for once allowed the small smile tugging at his mouth to blossom. As the moment passed between brother and sister, the youngest Sabaku picked up three cookies from the pile and placed them on a clean plate.

"Hey! How come he gets first dibs," yelled an outraged Kankuro, effectively ending the moment.

At Kankuro's outburst, Gaara simply took a big bite out of one of the chocolate chip cookie earning him a glare from his older brother. Temari simply rolled her eyes at their antics, and made another trip to the kitchen this time bringing back three glasses of milk.

Once they all had a glass, Temari watched as her family settled in to eat their dessert, and couldn't help but feel genuine happiness at the sight.

"So, what do you guys want to do for Halloween?" she asked her two brothers hoping to start a conversation.

After gulping down some milk, Kankuro spoke in an excited voice.

"We have to make a Haunted House! It'll be awesome!"

Liking the idea, Temari smiled evilly.

"That sounds interesting."

Losing his smile, Kankuro broke out in a frown—he had clearly thought of something that would most likely spoil their recently made plans.

"But we can't pull it off with just the three of us. We would need more people," he said a little disappointed.

"How many more?" asked a curious Gaara.

"At least ten people, and that's cutting it," answered Temari.

'Hmmm...' thought Gaara.

"Why'd you ask?" asked Temari noticing her brother's thoughtful silence.

"Naruto and the group wanted to do something together this Halloween, and I just thought they might be interested in helping out in a Haunted House project," stated the red-head.

"That'll be great!" exclaimed Kankuro.

"I'll ask them tomorrow," said the red-head while polishing off his third cookie.

The rest of the night was spent making up plans for their Haunted House skit. Kankuro and Temari just laughed evilly at all the schemes they came up with, while a slightly curious Gaara looked on with an emotionless expression plastered on his face.

Later on that night, while half the world had long gone to bed, a red-haired boy gazed out his open window and watched as the moonlight bathed the night in a faint shimmer. Leaning on the window sill, the red-head allowed his thoughts to drift with the wind that was currently playing with his hair. As the wind picked up, he felt his skin prickle at the cold draft, and without making any noise, the boy closed the window and made his way to bed hoping the sandman would soon visit him.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

**Gaara's POV**

"That's better than anything we came up with," said an excited Naruto.

It was finally Friday, and I had just told the group about the Haunted House project. Everyone had been throwing out their own ideas so I simply placed mine on the table. I wasn't really expecting anything out of it, but as soon as I told the group they had immediately perked up to the idea.

It seemed we were going to spend Halloween scaring little children—I could really learn to like this holiday.

Naturally, Naruto and Kiba had immediately gotten to work and started coming up with plans of their own, and they seemed a little bit **too** eager at the prospect, I noticed.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

As the bell for lunch ended we all went our separate ways.

I picked up my book bag and headed towards 6th period.

These last two months have turned into routine for me, aside from 2nd and 7th period—the classes I have with the Hyuuga.

Out of everyone in school, he seems to be the only mystery to me. I'm usually good at figuring people's motives and personalities, even though I'm not a social person, I can clearly see the minute subtleties of society. I've always been able to see straight through a person and understand them inside and out.

However, I can't seem to understand the Hyuuga, which has never happened to me before. I've always been able to read people, but there's something about Neji that I can't figure out.

He intrigues me.

Maybe that's why I haven't knocked some sense into him for his audacity.

It started that first day in chemistry when I looked up from my book and found him staring at me. I was a little annoyed at his boldness, but as I thought about it, I found it didn't bother me as much as I first assumed; however, had I known that that would not be an isolated incident, I might have been so forgiving.

During school, I often catch him staring at me like before. At first, he would simply pretend he wasn't watching me and would send me a bland look as if he had no idea why I was glaring at him. _The nerve_. However, he doesn't bother pretending anymore, his blatant examination of my person is almost an everyday occurrence. When I notice his eyes on me and send him a glare, he simply turns his attention elsewhere never bothering to apologize or pretend resentment.

He doesn't look at me with anger, but rather his gaze is intent as if he's trying to discern something, but can never quite find it.

Over the years I've learned to instantly distinguish loathe in a person's eyes. Father's eyes always held a look of hate every time he set eyes on me. However, Neji's eyes hold no such hate, but if not hatred then what?

As time progresses there seems to be a kind of expectancy hovering over both of us that neither one of us wants to meet; so here we are at a stand-still—neither friends nor foes.

There are too many unanswered questions that keep bothering me.

What does he want? Why does he keep watching me? Why do I feel as if my stomach is doing somersaults every time I feel those piercing eyes on me?

Why do my thoughts always drift to the long-haired male?

At first it was the artistic part of me. Since leaving Suna nothing had really inspired me to create, but on that first day, I felt drawn to those light lavender eyes full of unfulfilled emotion. I wanted to capture the intensity of those eyes, but there was always something missing, something I haven't yet identified. So, grudgingly, I set the piece aside for the time being.

I have no reason to be thinking of him anymore, yet I find my thoughts and eyes unconsciously stray their way to him.

Often times I've caught myself gazing at the pale-eyed male while he's busy with his work, but I quickly turn away before he finds me watching him. However, when he does notice my eyes upon on him, he simply smirks at me and continues on with his work, never asking me to stop.

I don't understand.

**CRASH!**

The sound of a trashcan falling snaps me out of my confusing thoughts, and stops me in my tacks.

'_What was that?_' I think.

I turn around and head toward the direction I first heard the sound until I arrive at a dead-end. There's nothing but a pair of restroom's both of which seem undisturbed.

I glance around, and hearing nothing I start to turn around when I hear another loud sound pierce the silent walls.

It was coming from the boy's restroom.

Without thinking, I swiftly open the door and go inside only to fall speechless at the sight before me.

Head wrapped in a white bandana, eyes shut in pain; a pale Neji Hyuuga valiantly tried to lift himself off the dirty restroom floor, while a fallen trashcan rested mere feet in front of him.

Never noticing my entrance, the long-haired Hyuuga continued on with his efforts. Back up-against the wall and using the sink for support, Neji tried to push himself off the floor with his legs; however, before he was halfway to his goal his legs unexpectedly gave out.

He would have fallen on the tiled floor had I not moved in time and grabbed him by the waist, but he instantly stiffened at my touch and quickly opened his eyes.

"Neji...are you okay?" I asked.

He didn't respond, but looked up at me with a mix of shock and astonishment radiating from his eyes. He had clearly not expected anyone to find him here.

"Neji, are you okay?" I repeated.

Never taking his eyes away from me, he nodded his head before bucking over in pain while I tried to keep him from crashing to the floor. I watched in panic as he clutched his stomach, and tightly closed his eyes once more. He let out a hiss through clenched teeth, before I gently set him down on the cold tiled floor.

Not knowing what to do, I dropped by book bag, class long forgotten, and knelt down next to him.

"Do you need me to call the nurse?" I asked in a controlled voice. I quelled my panic knowing full well that I needed to stay calm—alarm would do him no good.

"No," he hissed out through pale lips, as he tried to hold in the pain.

"I need to go," he continued as he began to search for something with his free hand. I watched him grope the floor in pursuit of something, and soon realized what he was searching for when I saw a pair of keys a few feet away from him. Leaning forward, I reached out and grabbed the keys on the floor.

"Where are you going?"

Opening his eyes, Neji looked at my hand where his car keys were currently being held, and hissed out in a cold tone.

"None of your business. Now give me my keys Sabaku."

"You can't even stand up, let alone drive your car. Now tell me where you're going so I can drive you there," I said in a patient, yet commanding tone.

At my statement, Neji looked at me with disbelief.

"Why would you do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because you are in pain, and I wish to relieve you of it," I said without hesitation—it was the truth.

I watched as his eyes widen in shock, it seemed I had surprised him. He stayed quiet and lowered his eyes not letting me know what he was thinking. I simply stayed where I was waiting for his response.

"I don't know," he said a minute later in a defeated voice. I didn't say anything knowing he wasn't finished. "I don't know where I'm going," he said more to himself than to me.

I stood up, and without a word secured my book bag from the floor before bending down and picking a now surprised Neji off the floor. Although he was obviously much bigger than me, I carried him without effort—I was used to carrying heavier things.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" demanded an outraged Hyuuga, pain momentarily forgotten.

Without breaking stride, I answered him, knowing he would struggle if I didn't respond.

"I'm taking you to my house."

Stunned speechless at my answer, I watched as Neji tried to get his thoughts in order, but just as he was going to retort his body spasm in another fit of pain.

I watched as his face tightened in anguish, and in an unconscious gesture, he leaned into me seeking relief from his suffering.

I responded by wrapping my hands tighter around him, making sure I had him secured, before widening my strides and picking up my pace.

In these last two months Naruto and I had gotten close, and being the prankster that he is he knew various ways to sneak out of the school grounds which he had no qualms about informing me of. So, using the mental map in my head, I made my way to the west side of the school which was usually abandoned at this time of day and used the fire exit door, which Naruto had conveniently disabled last year, and took my leave along with a sick Hyuuga.

Throughout the entire trek, Neji lay still in my arms with the occasional flinch; the only indication that he was still conscious was the death grip he had on my shirt. When I reached the parking lot, I felt as Neji tried to lift his head—he was trying to find his car.

"Don't worry, we'll take my car," I said by way of explanation, before reaching into my pocket rather awkwardly, since I was still carrying him, and took out my keys. After pressing the unlock button, I instantly heard the doors unlock, and quickly opened the passenger door and place Neji on the seat before securing him with the seatbelt.

"Neji, you have to let go of my shirt," I said to him as gently as I could make my voice—I couldn't leave his side because he still had my shirt in a death grip.

At the sound of my voice, Neji lifted his head and looked me in the eyes before slowly unclenching his hand and effectively freeing me.

I quickly made my way around the car and got into the driver's seat. I gunned the engine before slamming on the gas and sped out of school a perfect imitation of Temari.

I made it to my house in a record time of seven minutes. As I sped into the drive-way, I slammed on the breaks causing the car to jolt to a stop a few inches from the garage door.

Barely making sure that the car was off, I got out of the car and quickly opened the front door. Task finished, I went back to the Hyuuga currently holding on to the seat as if his life depended on it.

At the sound of my approaching foot-steps he let go of the seat as I lifted him from the passenger seat, and using my feet I kicked the door shut. I went inside and headed straight to my room. Opening my door, with some difficulty, I walked to my bed and set Neji down on the soft mattress.

As I set him down on the bedding, he instantly curled up in the fetal position.

I could do nothing for him since I've never taken care of anyone.

Not knowing much I simply imitated Temari's actions when she took care of Kankuro when he got a little bit under the weather.

So, with little knowledge of what I was doing, I reached out to check for a fever but the bandana wrapped around his head was in the way. Frowning at the piece of cloth, I tried to pull it off only to have my hand slapped by the seemingly defenseless Hyuuga.

"Leave it," he hissed out.

"I need to check for a fever," I said a little impatiently.

"**I said** **leave it!**" he yelled out before curling into himself again.

Not wanting to upset him, I left the bandana where it was, and got up to take my leave. However, halfway to my door I heard my name called out. Although he whispered it, I heard it clearly for it was the first time he had used my first name.

"Gaara," Neji whispered through pale lips, "where are you going?"

"I need to get some things. I'll be back in a while," I said and as an add reassurance I added, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

With those parting words, I left the room and headed downstairs where I searched the cupboards for any type of soup.

**End of Gaara's POV**

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**Neji's POV**

After Gaara left, I clenched my fist as another convulsion racked my form—it was getting worse.

If I had known that it would get this bad, I would have stayed home today, better yet, I would have asked Hiashi for the shot; but ever since the incident that night about two months ago I tried to keep my distance from him. I wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

When I first noticed I was running low on pills I just ignored it, thinking I still had about two weeks left before I needed another shot. What I forgot about was the pills purpose. The pills extended the time intervals in which I needed to take the shot, but since I wasn't taking the pills anymore (since I ran out), the time interval for my next shot shortened.

This morning when I noticed the barely visible seal on my forehead, I knew my mistake. I had planned on asking Hiashi this afternoon, and decided against staying home.

I hated staying in that prison.

So, wrapping my head in a white bandana, I left the mansion, naively leaving the matter of taking my medicine for tonight.

I paid for my stupidity.

After first period a slight discomfort plagued my body, but thinking I could endure it until tonight, I disregarded it. However, as the day wore on, the slight discomfort quickly turned into a throbbing ache and gradually worsened until, in 4th period, I was forced to ask my instructor for a bathroom pass.

I went to the bathrooms in the west side of the school knowing they were usually deserted at this time, but by the time I got there, the pain had increased, and stumbling inside, I let my body slide to the floor and waited for the pain to recede a little—it only got worse.

By the time lunch ended I finally gave in and decided to go home before it got any worse. So, placing all my concentration on getting out of there, I began to push myself up only to find that my legs were too weak to lift me up—I had waited too long.

Cursing my weakness, I looked around the bathroom in search of anything that might help me, and spotting a trashcan a few feet away, I reached out and pulled it close to me.

Using the trashcan for support I tried to lift myself off the floor, but as I pulled myself up, I clumsily placed too much weight on the flimsy trashcan and ended up toppling over, trashcan and all.

Damn it! I needed something sturdier.

I looked around the room once again and I noticed my keys a few feet away.

Great.

For the time being I left them where they were, my first priority was getting off the damn floor. As I continued on with my search I spotted the sinks. Perfect.

So, using what little strength I had left, I scooted over just enough to reach the sink and used my arms to pull myself up, however my grip on the sink slipped, and for the second time today, I fell to my knees.

Resting my back against the bathroom wall, I regained my breathe and tried one last time. Using the sink and wall for support, I pushed myself up one last time on wobbly legs, only to have my body give out on me once again; and as I prepared to fall for the third time today, a hand wrapped around my waist effectively stopping my fall.

I instantly stiffened at the contact.

I was sure I was alone, but the hand wrapped around my waist said differently.

"_FUCK!" I thought._

"Neji...are you okay?" I heard the person say.

"_No fucken way," _I thought.

"Neji are you okay?" I heard him ask again.

"_Fucken Hell! Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it be someone else?"_

Not wanting the red-head to see me in this condition, I nodded my head; too bad my body betrayed me at the moment and decided to plague me with another dose of pain.

As the pain blossomed in my body, I instantly buckled over feeling as if I was being ripped apart. I shut my eyes in pain once more, and felt Gaara's grip tighten as he tried to keep me from falling on the floor.

As I felt the pain slowly recede, gentle arms slowly placed me on the floor. After making sure I was okay, he asked me if I wanted to see the nurse—had I not been in anguish I might have laughed.

_Please_. The nurse could do nothing for me. Not even the most re-known doctors could help me.

So, knowing I had to take care of this myself, I answered him with a no. I told him I needed to leave to which he didn't respond. Ignoring my current company, I tentatively tried to grab my discarded keys.

As I searched for my keys, I felt as Gaara leaned into me, and instantly felt the warmth radiating from his body. But it didn't last long because he was soon leaning back.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

Opening my eyes, I saw my keys in his hands.

"_So, that's why he was leaning forward. Idiot, of course there was a logical explanation." _I thought in reprimand to myself.

"None of your business. Now give me my keys Sabaku." I hissed out a little angrier than I meant to.

"You can't even stand up, let alone drive your car. Now tell me where you're going so I can drive you there," he told me in that tone of his that makes a person feel like a little child.

"_Why would he want to help me?"_ I thought to myself. There had to be more to this than I was seeing.

Strangers did not offer their help without some type of benefit for themselves. I've known this all my life.

Individuals don't freely offer their help. There are always strings attached. I've watched this hundreds of times in the Hyuuga mansion, and I've always been careful to decline any offer of help. I do not want to owe a "favor" to anyone, no matter how small, and so experience told me that there had to be some invisible strings to Gaara's offer.

"Why would you do that?" I asked suspiciously all the while trying to figure out the hidden agenda behind his offer.

"Because you are in pain, and I wish to relieve you of it," he instantly responded.

At his quick response, my eyes widen in shock.

Though I've known him a short time, I've never known Gaara to lie or hide the truth. At first, I thought it was because he didn't speak much, but as time wore on and he opened up a little, I never caught him in a lie, be it big or small. His words were not riddled with hidden meanings and he said exactly what he meant without worrying about repercussions if his words were met with a closed mind.

He said what he meant and he said it bluntly without circling around a subject, something I've never observed in another person.

His words shocked because I knew he meant exactly what he said. He only wanted to help me without any hidden agenda.

However, the only problem now was the fact that I had no idea where to go.

This had happened to me once before and Hiashi had warned me then that if I ever disregarded taking my medicine again he would restrict me to the Hyuuga mansion. I couldn't allow that to happen—I did not want to become a full time prisoner.

As my thoughts ran away with me, I began to talk to myself out loud, forgetting my current company.

"I don't know, I don't know where I'm going," I said to myself, and before I knew what was happening, Gaara picked me up and began to carry me in his arms.

I was literally shocked.

Who did he think he was!

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

Gaara simply kept on at the same pace ignoring my outrage.

"I'm taking you to my house," he said in an unconcerned voice as if he was talking about the weather.

Had I not been suffering at the moment, I would have done a double-take.

"_His house!"_ I thought in panic. _"He can't take me to his house. He can't!"_

However, just as I was going to protest my body was griped in another wave of torment. It was worse than last time, and as it blasted through my system I unconsciously sought comfort from the only person with me.

A flood of agony raced through my form and as I tried to keep conscious, I clutched Gaara's shirt in a death grip, waiting for the pain to recede once more.

By the time I re-surfaced we were in the parking lot.

"_Fuck, were did I leave my car? Damn it, I can't remember!"_

"Don't worry, we'll take my car," I heard Gaara say as if reading my thoughts, and moments later he had me in the passenger seat.

"Neji, you have to let go of my shirt," he said to me, and as I opened my eyes, I noticed that I still had his shirt in a death grip.

"_Idiot."_

I let go of his shirt as quickly as I could, and watched as he slid into the driver's seat. Moment's later we shot out of the parking lot, and for the first time in my life I felt that I wasn't going to make it.

"**_Who the HELL ever gave him a fucken driver's license!" _**was the phrase that kept screaming through my mind as we blasted out of the parking lot and to his house.

About seven minutes later, I watched in terror as he pulled into a house at full speed and quickly hit the brakes, causing the car to come to a jolting stop a mere inches from the garage door.

I could only sag in relief.

As he swiftly got out of the car, I tried to unclasp my hands which were currently glued to the seat. As soon as he hit the gas back at school, my hands had immediately reached for anything that was bolted down, and I soon found myself holding onto the seat as if my life depended on it, which it probably did.

Moments later, Gaara came back and picked me up from the passenger seat. The explosion of pain that circulated through my body as he lifted me up was excruciating, and as soon as he put me down, I curled into a fetal position drifting between consciousness and pain-induced sleep. However, I soon snapped back to reality when I felt warm hands trying to remove my white bandana. Instinctively, I slapped the hand away with as much strength as I had left.

"Leave it," I hissed out. I couldn't let him remove the cloth. It was the only thing preventing him from seeing the seal.

"I need to check for a fever," I heard him say little impatiently.

"**I said** **leave it!**" I yelled out.

If he saw it, he would ask the inevitable questions, questions which I did not want to answer. Besides, if he knew the truth he would turn away in disgust.

No one ever treated you the same after they found out you were sick, and often times, they turned away from you as if getting to close would instantly infect them.

I did not want anyone's pity or sympathy, besides it was forbidden to tell anyone outside the Hyuuga family about the virus.

Hearing footsteps walk away from the bed, I looked up to see Gaara making his way to the door. Panic instantly gripped me.

I know I was a little harsh, but I didn't mean to drive him away. I didn't want to be alone.

"Gaara, where are you going?" I said in a soft and weak voice.

"I need to get some things. I'll be back in a while," he told me, and turning around he added with a slight softness to his voice. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

As I watched him leave the room and gently close the door, I concentrated on making a plan before the pain consumed me.

I needed to call Hinata and ask her to bring me my pills. It was far too late for the pills to fully work, but they would at least give me a day or two before I needed to take the shot. It was a simple plan, and I still needed to take care of a few details, but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

Plan made, I tried to concentrate on something else other than the throbbing ache that engulfed my mind. Therefore, desperately looking for a distraction, I looked around the room, and instantly knew just who's room I was currently occupying.

The few articles of clothing scattered around the room could belong to no other person, Gaara had taken me to his room rather than a guest's room.

As I studied the entire room, I understood why he intrigued me. Once again Gaara managed to astound me. I never would have fathomed his room to be like this.

Black painted walls covered the entire room from floor to ceiling; thus, accentuating every piece of furniture and ornament that lay scattered around.

However, the bed, which I was currently on, was the only thing out of place—as if it didn't really belong but was rather tucked away in a corner of the room seemingly out of sight.

Along the walls, dozens of pencil drawings were carelessly taped without regard to order or symmetry. Many of the drawings overlapped, but somehow they made a weird sort of sense, and looked exotic in a way that would not have been possible had they stood alone.

In the right side of the room, a book case sporting a variety of different writers and textbooks, took up much of the free space along with a large surround system, while a large oak desk littered with a variety of different objects dominated the left side.

An assortment of different colored vials decorated the top of the desk, along with a large variety of other metal object such as tongs, ladles, hand-held torches and other metal tools that I'd never seen before. Next to the desk, a small metal bench held two long metal pipes which were carefully arranged so that both openings were covered in some type of cloth, probably to make sure no dust got into them. Although the items scattered around the desk were unusual to say the least, the most peculiar object in the room had to be without a doubt the large gourd next to the closet.

"_What is that?"_ I thought to myself, as I inspected the large object. I could come up with no reasonable explanation for its presence. As I was intently examining the large gourd, I noticed a grainy substance beside it.

"_Wait, is that…"_ looking at it more closely I figured out what it was but was more puzzled than enlightened, "_… is that sand scattered around it?"_

Although the room screamed of chaos, I could sense a type of symmetry, though not all of it. I didn't understand why all these random things inhabited his room…unless they weren't random.

Gaara didn't seem the type to do things without a reason, and so I logically came to the conclusion that everything in his room was somehow related, I just needed to put the pieces together. So, trying to escape from the torment my body was currently experiencing, I placed all my attention on the riddle that was Gaara, and spent the next half hour contemplating the reason behind a certain red-head's choice of decoration.

In my pursuit, I was able to effectively gain a respite from the pain as I slowly drifted off into a light slumber.

**End of Neji's POV**

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I thought it was running a little long so I decided to stop here. Hope you liked it. Next chapter will conclude this scene and the plot will start to roll out.

So, can you guess what type of artist Gaara is?

Reviews are greatly appreciated, so if you want, tell me what you think so far. ;)


	5. Ch 5: A Bold Move Brings New Beginnings

A/N:

Hello,

Sorry about the late update. I've had various things taking up my time. I also wanted to thank all those who've reviewed so far. Thanks for your comments, I loved reading them all. Hope you enjoy reading it and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an

AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**A Bold Move Brings New Beginnings**_

The ringing of the bell signaled the end of class and without preamble, students quickly made their way out of the school eager to start their weekend.

'_I must be the only one who's not jumping for joy,'_ thought Hinata as she watched other teens do just that as they animatedly talked about their newly found freedom.

On her way to her car, Hinata bumped into Naruto who greeted her with a tight bear hug that made her cheeks turn a pretty pink hue.

She was still not used to Naruto's eccentric ways, but at least she didn't get light headed like she used to. Back then, she would blush at the mere mention of the blonde's name.

"I can't believe it's finally Friday!" yelled Naruto, while the young Hyuuga simply smiled in response.

"So, what are you doing this weekend Hina—Oi! Kiba! Over here," Naruto yelled while waving his hands in the air.

"Geez Naruto, you don't have to shout," said an annoyed Kiba as he changed directions. Like always, Shino walked beside him, a silent presence.

"Hey Shino, any plans this weekend?" asked the blonde, completely forgetting he had never finished asking Hinata about her's.

"Were going to a protest rally!" responded an excited Kiba, while Shino simply confirmed with a nod of his head.

"Aww man, you guys always go to a protest rally. Last week you went to that 'Save the Forest' protest, and the weekend before that it was the 'Save the Red Algae' demonstration."

"If we don't save the environment, then who will?" Kiba said in defense.

He always got worked up when it came to saving the natural world.

His family had always been hardcore conservationist. As a little boy, they had often brought him along to protest rallies hoping to instill the same deep love of the earth in him; and it was in one of these rally's were he had first met Shino.

Flashback

_Being tired of his sister ignoring him in favor of the proceeding's which engulfed her entire attention, Kiba decided to explore the area and wandered off. He walked around the array of people who had gathered for the demonstration, only to find that they were all rather occupied with the proceedings to pay any attention to a hyperactive little boy. _

_Finding no one to play with, Kiba finally decided to suffer his fate of boredom and began to make his way back to his sister's side. However, as luck should have it, just as he turned around he caught sight of another person his age. _

_Grinning like a fool, Kiba instantly changed directions and attached himself to the other boy, who frowned at his audacious behavior. _

_It turned out that Shino's family was also very concerned with the environment, and often brought their son with them in hopes that he would interact with other people. _

_Shino had always been a solitary figure, so figuring that he would better interact with someone who was interested in the same things he was, his parents had made it a point to bring him along every time they went to a rally. Therefore, seeing their solitary son being dragged along by a hyperactive brown-haired boy of roughly the same age was more than enough to bring smiles to their faces. _

_The two had become fast friends, or rather; Kiba had run his mouth off while dragging a silent Shino around. By the end of the protest, both boys knew they'd made a friend for life, and like that one fateful day, Kiba always dragged around the tall male every time they went to a save the earth campaign; while said male, just let himself be towed around by the stray that had attached itself to him years ago—besides, it wasn't like he minded the contact._

End Flashback

"Yeah, yeah," drawled Naruto, as he resigned himself to an uneventful weekend.

"Besides," said Kiba in a mischievous voice, "I never said we were going to spend the entire weekend at the protest."

At Kiba's words, Naruto instantly perked up and quickly started making plans with the dog-lover, while an expressionless Shino and a smiling Hinata looked on.

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After saying her good-bye's to her friends, Hinata headed for the parking lot where she had parked her car that morning.

Reaching into her book-bag in search for her keys, the young Hyuuga came across her phone and noticed she had a message. So, never being one to procrastinate, the young heiress punched in her password and waited for the message to be retrieved.

"Neji" whispered a worried Hinata as she quickly replayed the message on her cell phone.

Hinata was always one to worry about any little thing and after listening to Gaara's vague voicemail she was more than a little concerned. Neji never got ill…unless it had to do with his condition.

She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. She was sure he still had a week or two before he needed to take his shot. Although she never let Neji know, Hinata always made sure he took his medicine on time. She loved her cousin like a brother, and though she knew he didn't reciprocate her feelings, he never entirely refused them either, which was more than enough for her.

Pressing on the gas as much as she dared, Hinata tried to calm her jumbled thoughts as she hurriedly made her way to the address Gaara had given her in the message.

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**Neji's POV**

Darkness was my only greeting as I awoke from the world of dreams and into the world of the living.

Wanting to make myself more comfortable, I shifted my body only to find myself on top of the covers.

'_Why did I sleep on the covers?'_ I thought.

Even when I was dead tired, I never deviated from my nightly routine, and the fact that I was sleeping on top of my covers was a definite break in pattern. As I pondered on the reason for this occurrence, I noticed the lethargy that overtook my body.

'_Why am I so tired?'_ I thought a little concerned.

Reaching out with my right arm, I tried to turn on my bedside lamp, only to be met with empty air. Opening my eyes in confusion, I finally saw the room I was occupying and was instantly overtaken by dread.

"Where am—"

"I see you're awake now," a voice interrupted my whispered words.

At the sound of that voice, memories flooded my brain as I remembered exactly what had happened.

"I made you soup," Gaara said emotionlessly, as he placed a tray next to me.

Still recalling the day's events, I casually peered at the offered bowl, and frowned at the sight.

"Its burnt," I stated.

"…"

I looked at the bowl once more and noted the slightly brown color of the Campbell's soup, which smelled suspiciously like clam chowder if one ignored the burnt smell emitting from it. I stared back at Gaara with a look that said 'Do you really expect me to eat this?', and watched as he placed the tray aside.

With an impassive face, Gaara turned back to face me before speaking.

"I'm not much of a cook, so if you're hungry there's some left over lasagna from last night."

I nodded in response, and before I could ask how long I'd been asleep I felt a flare of pain seep thorough my body before retreating as quickly as it had appeared.

Damn it. I needed to call Hinata.

"I called your cousin while you were asleep," Gaara said as if reading my mind. "She should be here soon since school got out 20 minutes ago."

"Thanks," I said as the tension left my body.

Not knowing how else to proceed, we simply stayed were we we're while a peaceful silence engulfed us. However, the silence soon ended as we both heard tires screech to a halt outside.

Hinata had arrived.

"I'll let her in," said the red-head as he stood up and left the room.

**End of Neji's POV**

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"Ne-e-ji are you o-okay?" asked a worried Hinata, while inching her way closer to the bed in order to get a better look at her cousin.

'_Was he always that pale?'_ she thought.

Neji's only response was a grunt which he let out while trying to sit up in bed. He hated being so weak, and refused to speak to her while lying helplessly in bed. He would at least sit up.

"You shouldn't move," Hinata said as she reached out to help her cousin who was clearly too ill to be moving around.

"I'm fine," growled the Hyuuga prodigy, refusing her offered help.

Hinata stepped back, eyes downcast—he had hurt her feelings.

Rubbing his face in frustration, Neji tried to remain calm. He hated when this happened. It always made him feel like a bastard every time she cast her eyes to the ground as if he had just rebuked her.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled and watched as she looked-up; eyes no longer tinged with sadness, and told him how it wasn't his fault.

"Hinata," Neji said by way of stopping her incessant apologizing.

Getting the message, Hinata stopped her tirade and looked at her cousin expectantly.

Swallowing his pride, Neji continued on and for the first time in his life asked her for help.

As he explained the situation, Neji watched as her eyes grew worried. By the time he was finished tears threatened to fall from her light lavender eyes—she was always too sentimental; another strike against her as the Hyuuga heir.

Before leaving to retrieve his medicine, she asked him if he needed anything else from the Hyuuga mansion, which Neji instantly declined with a shake of his head. So, not wasting any more time, she grabbed her keys and quickly sped out of the room with a barely audible 'I'll be right back' as she yanked open the door and passed a stoic young red-head on her way out.

At her departure, Neji let out a hiss that he'd been holding ever since she had first arrived. The throbbing pain had returned and it had taken all of his will power not to flinch or let his voice betray him in front of his worrisome cousin, and now that she was gone, the Hyuuga prodigy once again curled into himself, as he waited for her return.

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"How are you feeling?" asked Hinata, as she watched her cousin finish up the soup she had bought him at a local restaurant.

Neji hadn't eaten all day, and as he waited for his cousin to return, Gaara's burnt soup seemed more and more appealing, which he deemed was a very bad thing. However, before he succumbed to his stomach's incessant pleas, Hinata had returned and to his utter joy, she came bearing gifts.

"I'm feeling better," Neji answered truthfully. The malicious pain from earlier no longer gripped him, and the food had quieted down his protesting stomach.

"I'm glad," Hinata said before continuing on in a hesitant voice.

"Ah, fa-father a-asked about you," Hinata said, suddenly finding the sketches on the wall very interesting.

'_Shit,'_ thought the older Hyuuga.

"What did you tell him?" he asked her.

Still looking away from him, Hinata rung her arms behind herself, which Neji recognized as a familiar gesture of nervousness.

"I d-didn't know what else to tell him, so I-I said you w-were s-spending the night at a friend's house."

'_Great. Now he's going to ground me for not telling him about the sleep over,'_ Neji thought a little begrudgingly, but he couldn't blame Hinata knowing it was the best answer she could have told him. Even though he was feeling better after taking the medicine, he still looked a little ill, something Hiashi would immediately notice, and Neji had no doubts that Hiashi would most likely place him on house arrest for who knew how long.

'_That is not an option,_' he thought to himself. He refused to be locked up in the Hyuuga mansion.

Getting grounded was definitely the lesser of two evils.

"Oh," said the older Hyuuga, not knowing how else to respond.

"I-I also told f-fa-ather that you had a-asked m-me about a week ago if you could sleep over at a friend's house. I told him that I was supposed to ask him for you, but it had slipped my mind," Hinata continued on as she slowly lost her stutter.

Stunned at her reply, Neji replied with the only words he could think of, "Thanks, Hinata. For everything."

"It's no problem, after all you are family," she said with a hint of a smile.

After finishing the soup, which tasted like ambrosia to his empty stomach, Neji said good-bye to his cousin and watched as she went to talk to Gaara for a moment before leaving the two boys.

"So, you forgot to take your medicine," Gaara said as he walked in the room that Neji had been occupying for the last few hours.

Surprised at his sudden remark, the white-eyed Hyuuga turned around to face the red-head with a look that said 'How did you know?' on his face.

Looking at his face, Gaara simply pointed to the bottle of pills that were currently on his desk.

Not deeming it necessary to explain, Neji neither confirmed nor denied his observation.

"You can take the bed," Gaara continued on.

"Huh," was Neji's only response.

"Hinata told me the situation, and since I don't require a full night's sleep, you can take the bed," Gaara said by way of explanation.

Still confused, Neji just nodded his head, before swinging his legs over and hesitantly placing his bare feet on the wooden floor.

From a few feet away, Gaara merely watched his struggles, ready to move if the brown-haired boy fell again.

Deciding that his legs just needed to get used to moving again, Neji took a few hesitant steps and smiled as he felt his legs properly support him once more—he was in control again.

Looking at the red-head across the room, Neji noticed for the first time that he was the only other person in the house.

'_Doesn't he have two older siblings?'_ Neji asked himself, remembering Gaara's words of introduction that first day of school.

"Where is everyone?" he asked curiously as he turned to face the red-head.

"Temari's sleeping over at a friend's house tonight, and Kankuro won't be back till later. It's Friday night and he sometimes hang's out with some of his friend's," Gaara answered.

"I'll ask Temari to take you home tomorrow," the red-head put in as an after thought, while Neji nodded in acknowledgement.

As the sun dropped from the sky and made way for the moon, both boys decided some food was in order. Following Gaara to the kitchen, Neji couldn't help but smile—for an unplanned sleep over, it had gone pretty well.

Still lost in his thoughts, Neji didn't notice his surroundings until he heard the red-head ask him what he wanted to eat.

Hearing no response, Gaara turned around and noticed the stunned look on the Hyuuga's features as he looked at the kitchen in horror.

If the burnt soup was not enough to convince him, then the chaos that he now found the kitchen in sure as Hell did: Gaara was no cook.

The red-head simply dismissed the mess, while Neji looked on in shocked silence.

"I told you I wasn't much of a cook," he said by way of explanation.

Neji looked at him incredulously. He couldn't believe it. Gaara had created this chaotic mess just by trying to heat up some soup?!

'_Which was burnt by the way,'_ the Hyuuga recalled.

'_Honestly, who burns soup?'_ he thought appalled, as he looked at the red-head beside him.

The next hour was spent trying to put the kitchen back into a somewhat semblance of order, which in itself was rather amusing, seeing as Gaara kept glaring at the dishes that refused to be cleaned. By the time they were finished, the red-head had already declared war on dirty dishes all around the world.

Although neither would admit it, they had enjoyed themselves. Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, midnight had arrived. Deciding it was time to go to sleep; both boys walked to Gaara's room and began to get ready for bed.

Looking at his clothes, Neji couldn't help but scowl at himself. He had forgotten to ask Hinata for a change of clothing and a toothbrush.

Seeing the Hyuuga's predicament, Gaara opened his dresser and rummaged through the array of clothing before finding some loose fitting gray sweat pants and a black t-shirt. Without a word, the red-head dropped them on the bed, and headed for the bathroom in search for a new toothbrush.

Grabbing the offered clothes, Neji headed for the bathroom where he found a new toothbrush awaiting him.

As both boys sat in silence, each wondered what this short episode would mean to their already strange relationship, if it could be called that.

From the bed, Neji observed Gaara as the red-head looked out the open window, any thoughts of sleep clearly out of his mind.

He watched as the moonlight hit his ivory skin making it glow in the dark, and for the tenth time that day, he turned away reprimanding himself for his thoughts.

Noting that Gaara wasn't going to go to sleep soon, Neji climbed into the bed, after asking the red-head, once more, if he was okay with the sleeping arrangements, to which said red-head did not respond.

Shrugging his shoulders, Neji made himself comfortable, and hoped sleep would overtake him soon. However, a few minutes later, the silence was broken by the seemingly uninterested short boy by the window.

"So, what does this mean?" asked Gaara, still facing out his window.

At his words, Neji sat up in bed, knowing it was fruitless to try and sleep so early.

He had been sure Gaara would leave things as they were, but this was Gaara and Neji could never predict the red-head's actions like he did with everyone else.

"I don't know," he said truthfully.

They were still in that precipice, the Hyuuga noted.

Neither friends, nor foes.

Deciding to take the next step, Neji gathered up his courage and made the leap into friendship.

"I do have one question though," he said.

Turning away from the window in order to face the white-eyed male, Gaara looked at Neji with a look that said, 'which would be'.

Smiling now, Neji watched as Gaara frowned at his change in attitude.

"Who the **Hell** ever taught you how to drive?" Neji asked as if the person in question must be crazy, which to him, they were.

Smiling, Gaara spoke one word that left the Hyuuga in scared silence.

"Temari," answered Gaara, watching as the Neji paled, clearly recalling who was going to drop him off tomorrow morning.

"I'm actually rather slow compared to her," Gaara continued on, enjoying as the Hyuuga turned a paler shade.

Closing the window, Gaara went to the bathroom and changed before pulling out of his sleeping bag. With a friendly 'Good- Night' both boys fell into a relaxed sleep.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

_**Earlier that same night**_

"Oi, Naruto," called out Sasuke as he spotted the blonde heading toward the theatre.

"Huh," Naruto said before turning around to find the younger Uchiha in front of him.

Itachi had been called into the office, and not wanting to stay in an empty mansion, Sasuke had grabbed his keys and headed out.

After driving around for an hour, the young Uchiha finally decided to watch a movie. He had called Neji earlier that day seeing as his white-eyed friend never showed up at their usual spot. He had waited about an hour and still the Hyuuga had not appeared. So, tired of waiting, Sasuke drove to _Gideon's_ while looking back at the seemingly empty parking lot, where Neji's car still waited for its owner's return.

The Uchiha had spent another hour at _Gideon's_ before finally deciding to head back home. He had called Neji's cell phone three times already and the bastard still didn't pick up. So, leaving his friend a rather angry message, Sasuke went home hoping his brother hadn't gone to the office that day.

His relationship with his brother was still a little strained due to the outburst he had had two months ago, but as time went by their fragile relationship had gradually improved. They still argued sometimes, but it wasn't like before, and their fights usually consisted of brotherly bickering.

So, as Sasuke opened the door to the mansion, he was met with a rather surprised Itachi, who had raised his eyebrow at his little brother's change in routine. Sasuke was never home this early.

However, instead of questioning his brother, Itachi simply asked him about his day. The rest of the evening was spent in similar fashion, as both boys talked about their day, until the ringing of the older Uchiha's cell phone interrupted their conversation.

It seemed the office needed Itachi.

With a shrug of indifference, Sasuke waved his brother off. The older Uchiha didn't want to leave his younger brother alone and asked him if he would be okay by himself, to which Sasuke simply rolled his eyes at.

So, with a quick good-bye, Itachi grabbed his keys, and headed out to the office.

A few minutes later, the younger Uchiha followed his brother's footsteps and slid into his own car deciding to spend a few hours in town.

"Ah. Hi, Sasuke." Naruto said before looking behind the Uchiha, clearly looking for another person.

"Who are you looking for, Dobe?" Sasuke asked a little annoyed, as he watched Naruto look back at him, rather sheepishly.

"I was just trying to see who you were here with," the blonde responded.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke told him he was alone, which brought a large smile to the blonde's face; and without preamble, Naruto grabbed the other's sleeve, and pulled a protesting Uchiha's toward the theatre.

"What are you doing?" demanded an angry Sasuke as he pulled away from the blonde's grasp.

"I'm here alone too, so you're coming with me," stated Naruto as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Looking at the smiling blonde in front of him, Sasuke just shrugged his shoulder and walked at his own pace toward the theatre, while a hyperactive blonde followed behind.

The two watched a scary movie, which turned out to be the most hilarious thing Sasuke had ever seen, and it was not the movie he was watching.

Naruto was very easy to scare noted the Uchiha as he remembered the blonde's girly shriek at a particularly scary part.

Naruto had practically clamped on to him every time a scary scene took place, it didn't annoy the Uchiha as it normal would have since he was far too entertained with Naruto's antics.

'_Naruto, sure was entertaining,_' thought the black-haired boy as he watched the blonde recount the movie's scary moments.

After the movie, Naruto had complained of hunger pains, so not wanting to listen to the blonde's whining any longer, Sasuke had finally agreed to go out and grab something to eat, so that was how the two currently found themselves at a nice restaurant.

"You're such a scary-cat Naruto," Sasuke said as a smirk of superiority graced his lips.

"Hey, that movie was based on a true events," Naruto yelled in defense.

"Whatever."

As the two waited for their dinner, Sasuke reached into his pocket and started to toy with a small object, while distant memories re-played in his head.

Flashback

_It was an ordinary day, barely past mid-morning, and Sasuke had just recovered from a case of the flu. He had been sick for a couple of days, but the fever had slowly faded thanks to his mother's reverent attention._

_Feeling fit to greet the day, Sasuke had taken a long shower and quickly put on some clothes. _

_Heading to the kitchen, the raven-haired thirteen year old ate a small breakfast which consisted of cookies and milk. Stomach content, Sasuke headed out, eager to spend the day in the sun, and turning the corner that lead to the front of the manor, Sasuke bumped into his father. _

_Looking up at his son, Fugaku frowned. _

"_Does your mother know your up?" he asked, remembering how Mikoto had been worried over their younger son's ailment._

_Rolling his eyes, Sasuke just answered with a yes. _

_His father simply nodded before continuing on with his way._

"_Wait," Sasuke called out after his father's retreating form._

"_Hmm?" Fugaku questioned as he stopped and turned around waiting for his son to continue. _

"_Uh, I just wanted to remind you about the soccer game this Saturday. You said you were going to attend since you've been busy our last three games," Sasuke explained. _

"_I can't go this Saturday, Sasuke. I'm taking Itachi to the company so he can get better acquainted with the inner workings of it. I'll attend your next game," Fugaku said by way of reparation. _

"_That's what you said last time," Sasuke said angrily. _

"_Sasuke, I don't have time to attend your little game. I have other things to do."_

"_You can always take Itachi another time!" yelled a now angry Sasuke. _

"_Sasuke," Fugaku said in an angry tone, "I've already given you my answer."_

"_Fine," growled the younger Uchiha as he turned around and left his father who simply frowned at his younger son's behavior, clearly not understanding Sasuke's attitude. _

_Once outside, Sasuke broke into a run, not caring where his feet took him. He just wanted to get away from his father, away from the Uchiha Manor, away from Itachi, away from everyone who saw him as Itachi's little brother. _

_He was but a shadow in his older brother's presence. _

_As his legs screamed for rest, Sasuke stopped his incessant running and looked up to see where his feet had taken him._

_He was at the lake, he noted as he watched little kids splash around in the water, while smiling parents watched them from afar. _

_Looking at the happy scene before him, Sasuke's anger began to boil as his thoughts got the better of him._

_He was not worthy enough for his father's praise and attention, such things were only bestowed upon the true Uchiha prodigy; Itachi. _

_Without forethought, Sasuke reached for the necklace that adorned his neck and with a swift pull broke the clasp that held the sapphire pendant that had been Itachi's gift to him for his thirteenth birthday. _

_He refused to wear anything that came from his brother, Sasuke childishly thought, but before he could put thoughts into action an ear-splitting call stopped him._

"_Oi, Bastard. What are you doing?" hoollered a curious Naruto. _

"_Leave," growled a very pissed off Uchiha. _

"_Make me," Naruto taunted._

_Controlling his temper, Sasuke looked at the seemingly happy blonde, and decided to change tactics. _

"_Why are **you** so happy?" he asked the blonde, annoyance dripping from his voice._

_Not noticing the Uchiha's tone, Naruto quickly began to tell Sasuke the reason behind his high spirits. _

_Apparently, today was Naruto's thirteenth birthday. _

"_Che," was Sasuke's only response._

"_What do mean 'Che'," Naruto yelled._

"_I'm already thirteen, dobe."_

"_Don't call me that!" yelled an angry blonde._

_Rolling his eyes, Sasuke proceeded tell the blonde that turning thirteen was not something to get excited about, before teasing Naruto for thinking otherwise._

"_Shut up, Bastard," answered a now steaming Naruto. _

_It was his first time turning thirteen, so Naruto had a reason to be excited. It wasn't everyday one began their teenage years. _

"_Forget about it," answered Sasuke._

"_You just want me to forget about it because you forgot to get me a present," Naruto accused._

"_I didn't even know it was your birthday until you told me," Sasuke shot back. _

"_So you admit it!" Naruto pointed at the raven-haired boy in accusation._

_Annoyed at the blonde, Sasuke was about to clonk him on the head for his stupidity, when he remembered the necklace he was still clutching. _

_Smiling to himself, Sasuke turned on Naruto._

"_It just so happens that I did get you a present," Sasuke told the blonde and watched in amusement as Naruto stopped his incessant accusations._

_Stunned at Sasuke's words, Naruto looked at him in puzzlement. _

_The only reason he had made such a big commotion about the whole gift thing was to annoy the other boy, he never thought the black-haired male actually got him a present._

"_What do you mean? I thought you just said you just found out right now," Naruto asked suspiciously._

"_Do you want it or not?" said an annoyed Uchiha._

"_What is it?" Naruto asked, as he curiously stepped closer to the other boy._

"_My heart," Sasuke stated in a cold tone._

_Confused beyond words, Naruto stared at the Uchiha as he struggled to decipher his words._

"_At least that's what Itachi told me," explained the raven-haired male, more to himself than to the boy next to him._

_Toying with the pendant in his hand he recalled Itachi's smiling face as his older brother gave him the necklace and explained the symbolism behind the piece. _

"_He gave me this necklace for my thirteenth birthday, you know. He told me the pendant symbolized one's heart, and as long as it was intact, my heart, like the pendant, would be protected from all harm," Sasuke explained, and clutching the necklace in a tight fist, he continued on, "but he lied to me. It hasn't protected me at all."_

_Opening his clenched fist, Sasuke revealed the sapphire pendant resting his in his hand._

"_I can't take that from you," whispered the blonde, a little embarrassed that the Uchiha would want to give him such a gift._

"_Fine. If you don't want it, then I might as well get rid of it since I have no use for it," stated an angry Sasuke, and without second thoughts, he pulled back his arm, and hurled the pendant into the greedy water's of the lake. _

_Barely registering what happened, Naruto looked at the boy next to him, and regarded him with sad eyes—this was clearly about someone else, Naruto had just been a convenient excuse to get rid of the seemingly innocent pendant._

_Smiling at his accomplishment, Sasuke noticed the blonde's sad expression and couldn't help the laughter that took a-hold of him._

"_If you're that sad over losing your gift, you can always go and find it," he said jokingly. _

"_Fine."_

_Doing a double-take, Sasuke turned toward a serious blonde, who was currently taking off his shoes._

"_You'll never find it," stated the Uchiha, as if it were fact._

"_You wanna bet?" Naruto responded._

"_When I find it, you'll have to do me a favor," demanded the blonde._

"_And what would that be?" asked the Uchiha._

"_You'll see," Naruto said with a hint of a smile._

"_Che, whatever. It's not like your going to actually find it," Sasuke said, accepting the bet._

_With those last words, the black-haired boy turned around and headed home. Behind him, a blue-eyed blonde watched as he walked away before stripping himself to his boxers as he began to work on the newly made bet._

End Flashback

"Earth to Sasuke," Naruto said while waving his arm at the other male.

"Huh," was the only sound that came out of the Uchiha's mouth as he noticed Naruto's hand.

"I said the food's here," Naruto told him, as he looked at the other questioningly.

Blinking his eyes, Sasuke returned to the present. Not wanting Naruto to question him, he made a snide remark about the blonde, and immediately got the response he was aiming for as said blonde began yelling at him.

As the two finished their dinner in relative peace, Sasuke picked up the bill and listened to Naruto's excited talk about the upcoming holiday.

After the bill had been paid, the two walked outside and headed to their individual cars.

Saying their good-bye's Sasuke opened his door, but before he could slip in, he heard Naruto call out his name.

Knowing it was futile to ignore the blonde; Sasuke straightened up and turned toward him expectantly.

"Umm…" Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the usual bold male turned shy.

"What is it?" Sasuke interjected.

"Umm, you know how I was talking about the Haunted House thing earlier."

Sasuke nodded in affirmation, with a vague idea of what the blonde was talking about.

"Well, you see…we need more people in order too make it a success. So, I was wondering…if you're not doing anything on Halloween, maybe you can help us out. You can even ask Neji if he would like to join us," Naruto finished a little flushed.

"Sure, I'll ask him."

"So, you'll come?" Naruto asked a little surprised at the Uchiha's answer.

"Yeah, I'll come," answered Sasuke as he slid into his car. Across from him, he watched as Naruto followed his lead and slipped into his own car, before waving at him with a little more enthusiasm than usual, as he took off.

By the time Naruto left the parking lot, Sasuke had yet to turn on his car. Instead, he toyed with the sapphire pendant that had engulfed his attention all evening.

He hadn't brought the subject up while he was with Naruto, something he would soon have to remedy seeing as the blonde probably already knew he had received the pendant from Neji.

Shaking his head in attempt to clear his head, Sasuke pushed all thoughts of a certain blue-eyed blonde aside, and scowled at the hand that had been unconsciously toying with the sapphire pendant all night.

Deeming himself ready, the black-haired male turned on his car and headed off toward the Uchiha Manor.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

So, there it is. Next chapter will be set on Halloween. It will feature the happenings of the 'Haunted House' project, which will move the plot forward. I won't elaborate anymore since I prefer to surprise you all.

Sorry about the late update. I've had various things keeping me busy. I'll update as soon as I can, but that might not be until a week or two seeing as it will be a very long chapter.

If anyone wants to see an image of Sasuke's pendant, I'll post up the link to the image in my profile, seeing as I can't put it here.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you think so far. ;)


	6. Ch 6: All Hallows’ Eve

A/N:

Hello,

Sorry about the late update. But now that I'm done with school, at least for the time being, I'll be able to write more regularly. So, here's the next chapter. It's a little over double what I usually write so be in store for a long read. I would also like to thank all those who've reviewed so far. Thanks for your comments, I loved reading them all. Hope you enjoy reading this next installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an

AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

_**All Hallows' Eve**_

After agreeing to help Naruto with the Halloween project, Sasuke went home and proceeded to pace around his room until he almost wore a hole in the carpet.

"_Why didn't I just say no to him?" _he asked himself.

"_I already told him I would help. I can't back out of it now."_

"_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"_

These were thoughts that ran through the young Uchiha's mind as he continued to pace around the room, until without any warning, he abruptly spun around on his heel and glared at his phone with a wrath born of forgotten memories.

"Neji," he hissed.

The Hyuuga had left him without a word, and because of him, he had ended up in front of the theatre where a certain blonde had attached himself to him.

Thus, placing all the blame on his friend's shoulder, Sasuke grabbed his cell phone and dialed the Hyuuga's number. However, Neji's voicemail, once again, answered the phone. As soon as he heard the familiar greeting, Sasuke immediately threw the phone across the room, and continued his pacing; this time as his thoughts once again turned dark, he was sure to place ALL blame on the Hyuuga.

Later that night, after thoroughly convincing himself that Naruto and Neji were conspiring against him for their own sick entertainment; Sasuke decided to forestall calling his so-called 'friend' for the time being, and with his thoughts no longer plaguing him, he grabbed a towel and took a shower before going to bed.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

**Saturday Night**

It was night, by the time the Uchiha got around to calling his friend, but it was still early by his standards.

"Hello," answered a bored Hyuuga.

"Glad to see your alive, Hyuuga," answered a rather sarcastic Sasuke, clearly remembering being stood up at the parking lot the day before.

"Nice to see someone cares," Neji answered, mimicking his friend's sarcastic tone.

"Thanks to you, and your little disappearing act you pulled on Friday, I'm stuck helping out at a stupid Haunted House this Halloween." Sasuke accused, clearly remembering Neji's fault in all of this.

"How does my 'little disappearing act' as you so eloquently put it, have to do with you helping in a Haunted House?" Neji logically asked.

"If you had bothered to show up, or answer your damn phone, then I wouldn't have gone to the movies, and I wouldn't have run across Naruto. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess, so you will share the torment with me." Sasuke vehemently stated.

"Again, how is this in any way my fault, and why in the world do you think that I would actually accompany you?" said a rather amused Neji.

"_Naruto," _Neji thought.

So, it was the blonde who had gotten Sasuke to help out. He should have known.

If Sasuke thought he was going to spend his Halloween helping out in a lame Haunted House he was sorely mistaken, but before he could inform his friend of his thoughts, he heard a knock at the door.

"There's someone at the door, give me a minute," Neji absently told his friend, half paying attention to the growl he received before putting him on hold.

'_It's 10 o'clock at night,"_ he thought. Who would be disturbing him so late?

Placing the phone down, Neji quickly made his way to the door, and without preamble, opened the door.

A timid Hinata stood in front of him.

"Umm…" Hinata began while twisting the handkerchief she had in her hands. Raising his eyebrow in question, Neji waited for her to explain her irregular visit.

"Umm, I was passing by and heard you were awake," Hinata began, before darting her eyes away from her cousin and looking at the floor. "I've been meaning to ask you something," she continued on.

Irritated at her round-about manner Neji decided to step-in.

"What do you need Hinata?" he asked her.

Startled at his direct question, Hinata swallowed her nerves and told him about her plans for Halloween.

"So, if you haven't made any plans yet, your welcome to join us," she finished.

"And who would 'us' imply?" he asked.

"Umm… just me, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Gaara, and his siblings" she answered him.

At the mention of the red-head's name, Neji was instantly intrigued.

It wouldn't do him any harm if he helped out, he thought. Besides, it wasn't as if he would be alone seeing as Sasuke was going to be there as well, so thinking it over, he told his cousin he would attend.

Saying good-night to his cousin, Neji closed the door, and picked up the phone, setting it to his ear.

"We're taking your car," Neji said in greeting.

On the other line, a confused Sasuke simply accepted the turn of events and made the necessary plans with Neji. He wasn't sure what had caused his friend's sudden change of mind, but he was glad he didn't have to take drastic measures.

After talking with Sasuke, Neji got ready for bed, and in the process, let his mind wander.

It was no surprise that his thoughts eventually settled on a familiar red-head. He found that in the past two months his mind often settled on the new student, and ever since spending the night at his house things had only gotten worse. He was drawn to the short male in a way he had never been before, and the most frustrating thing about this entire situation was he didn't understand why, but he was determined to find out.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

"They're creepy and they're kooky,  
Mysterious and spooky,  
They're all together ooky,  
The Addams Family."

"Shut up, Naruto!" yelled a very annoyed Kiba.

They had been working in the old house for a week now, and Kiba was just about to blow a cork if he heard another of Naruto's so-called 'Halloween songs'.

After agreeing to the Haunted House idea, everyone was eager to start; however, the first order of business was actually finding a house.

Naruto and Kiba had scouted the city for potential houses, while Shikamaru and Temari researched each individual building that the two recommended; since any old house would simply not do. They needed a house with a history, one that already exuded an aura of darkness—and that was exactly what Shikamaru found as soon as he pulled up the information on the old Bailey Mansion.

After reading over the available information on the house, which extended back to the late 1800's, Temari couldn't help but grin evilly. The house was perfect.

After giving their enthusiastic okay, the floor turned over to Hinata, who was in charge of preparing the necessary papers in order to use the house for their plans; however, it was easier said than done.

It turned out that it took at least two months to put together all the necessary leases, and not to mention all the bureaucratic red tape she had to go through to even be considered usage of the property. The fact that they had little less than a month before all Hallows' Eve did not help their situation either.

Luckily for them, Naruto had asked Sasuke to help, and being the natural genius that he was, he analyzed the situation, and arrived at a conclusion.

They needed Itachi—and so, Itachi was called onto the scene, and after retrieving all the necessary information from Hinata, he immediately made several phone calls and after an hour, he announced that the mansion was theirs for the next month.

Eager to start, everyone had immediately gone to work. The group split up in two's and each pair went to work on a different room.

The old Bailey Mansion had fallen into disrepair ever since its last owner's passed away in the late 1940's; consequently, they had a lot of work to do before they could start on their plans.

Thus, the gang currently found themselves fixing up the mansion in order to make it safe for the people they were planning on '_entertaining'_. It had been a long hard week, and with school still going on, everyone was a bit moody.

"I'll take him," Sasuke told Kiba, as he dragged a protesting Naruto to another room.

"He was just singing," Shino told Kiba.

"Well, I've been listening to his singing all week! I can't stand it anymore," yelled a stressed out Kiba.

Shino frowned at his friend's behavior, before continuing his hammering.

Behind the doorway, Hinata quietly stepped out into the hall, and with a worried face, continued her inspection of the building.

Hinata had taken it upon herself to examine the entire mansion, and in her tour of the manor, she had noted similar episodes. It seemed everyone was getting a little irritated.

"If you don't want angry words to pass between them, you should probably get them out of here for a day," Itachi calmly stated behind her.

Hinata instantly whirled around. She thought she was alone, and hadn't heard anyone walk up behind her.

Looking at Hinata's shocked expression, Itachi had to smile. The girl was too innocent.

"Itachi, I didn't know you were here," she said without her usual stutter, which did not go unnoticed by the older Uchiha.

"So what are you going to do Hinata?" Itachi said, ignoring her comment.

Still a little shaken by his sudden appearance, it took her a little longer to answer.

"Umm… I can ask them if they want to stop for the day," she said a little unsure.

"Hinata, if you ask them, their will be some protest both for and against it. On one side you'll have people who'll just want to get this over with, so they can leave as soon as possible. On the other, you'll have people who would rather leave for the day, even if it entails dragging the time they spend fixing the mansion," Itachi explained. "So you see, you have to take charge and do what is best for everyone, even if they do resent you for it."

His tactful explanation of the situation reminded her of a certain father who often quizzed her on the same type of decisions; although, the decisions her father expected her to make were of a more business-type nature.

She wasn't a leader, and yet she had been destined for that role even before she was born. She didn't have the necessary traits to be a leader, was much happier being a silent follower. She liked working behind the scenes; helping in her own way.

"Hinata," Itachi called out.

"Huh…"

Itachi's voice abruptly brought her back to reality.

"I'm sorry," she instantly apologized.

"Its okay," Itachi assured her.

"So, what is your decision?" he asked her calmly.

"Umm…" once again her eyes made contact with the floor as she lowered her head.

"I can't…" she whispered. "I have no right making decisions for them," she told him apologetically.

Placing his fingers underneath her chin, Itachi gently raised her head, and slowly bent down until he was mere inches away from her face; while a beet red Hinata, watched on in shock. As ebony eyes met white, the young girl lost all coherent thought, and had to force her sluggish brain to function properly as the Uchiha began to speak.

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be" he said; staring intensely at the young girl as if her pale eyes contained secrets he had long been denied.

"Rosalynn Carter," Hinata whispered, remembering the quote from her studies.

A smile tugged at his lips, but he easily kept it at bay. This was not the time for happy smiles, nor pretty words. He needed her to understand, and the best way to accomplish that was with harsh words.

"Hinata, you are expected to lead a great many people in your lifetime," he began. "Not everyone will like your decisions. Some may even protest them vehemently. You can't please everyone. It's impossible," he said with a hint of emotion, as if he spoke from experience.

Looking at Itachi's set face; Hinata had the feeling that he spoke of something far greater than simply taking charge of the current situation, and it seemed he was, in his own way, trying to teach her a lesson—one heir to another.

Itachi remained where he was, looking into the young Hyuuga's face as she faced reality.

When Sasuke had called him for help and introduced him to everyone, he had immediately recognized the infamous Hyuuga Heir. He had never met her before, but he had made it a point to know such things as the soon-to-be CEO of Uchiha Enterprises.

And as he talked to her about the current situation with the Bailey Mansion, he immediately knew all the rumors about her were true.

Those in high circles often spoke of her as a shy and sweet girl, more fitted as a wife than leader of an international corporation, and seeing her shyly talking to him about leases and permits, he knew she did not have the necessary traits to hold such a high position.

As the week bore on, he watched her closely, and soon realized her main fault—she was too sympathetic to those around her. A great and humble trait in anyone else, but it bide disaster for someone in her position. Thus, wanting to help the lost girl, he had set out to teach her a few fundamental lessons of life, and the world.

"Your decision?" he asked her once again, referring to his earlier question.

He looked on as she regained herself, and for once in his life, he was surprised by the answer he received.

"A strong quote for a strong leader," she said. Rebellion coating her words.

"Tell me," she continued, as her gentle eyes darkened with anger, "are you aware of the power you wield? How it can change a person's life? Or do you enjoy having total control of countless lives, knowing that at your whim, their lives can be changed for the better or worse?" She asked angrily, while staring into unyielding dark eyes for any sign that he had heard her, or understood.

She found none.

"_He's just like Father?" _she thought sadly.

Suddenly, she didn't want to be this close to the male in front of her; didn't want to look into his cold eyes that reminded her so much of her Father.

She took a step back and to her relief, he released his hold on her without protest. As she gained her freedom once more, she quickly turned around facing the blank wall in front of her. Behind her, stood Itachi; his dark gaze of her back, willing her to face him.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe.

"_It's not his fault,"_ she told herself as she slowly gathered up her courage, before turning around to face cold iron eyes.

This time instead of rebellion, her words were coated with pity.

"Or is it that you **are** aware of the power you hold, and like a Shepard guiding his sheep, you have decided to take the part of the omniscient ruler; leading those in your care with a blindfold."

Just as before, ebony clashed with white.

She didn't understand why her father, and now Itachi, didn't realize that leadership was more than leading people where they 'ought to be', but making them understand where they 'ought to go'. People didn't like being lead like stray sheep; they needed to know where they were being lead too. Without that knowledge, they would naturally resent those who lead them with blindfolds.

"_Why am I the only one that sees this?"_ she asked herself for the millionth time.

She felt sorrow for her father, and now Itachi, who silently suffered due to their high position.

She had tried to make her father understand, but he had proven to be too stubborn and set in his ways. However, Itachi was still learning how to lead those in his care, and just maybe, he would listen and understand. Thus, determine to make him understand, Hinata continued on.

"Don't you see that you're being blinded by your own good intentions?" she asked him a little desperately. "Do you even remember how it felt like to be a small child unsure of the world around you; always asking questions, always seeking reassurance? Do you remember how you would hate it when your parents told you to do something without explaining why?" she asked him, repressed emotion filling her words. "Like children, those in your care need to be reassured, they need to know the reasoning behind your decisions." At her last words, she saw his eyes lit up with protest, but quickly continued before he could interrupt her. "I know it's impossible to give an explanation for every decision you make, but if you explained your reasoning once in a while, at least to a few people in your confidence, then those beneath you would not begrudge you so much."

Hinata stopped for a second, waiting for her words to sink in before she continued on, her voice tinged with sadness.

"You're just like my father, you know. You both believe that you're doing what's best for those left in your charge. So, you make plans for them accordingly, never once consulting them or giving them a reason for your actions. People aren't animals to be lead blindly. In all your wisdom, you fail to understand that a real leader has no need to lead—he is content to point the way", she finished.

"Henry Miller," he said, looking at her with the same expressionless face.

This time it was Hinata's turn to smile. He knew the quote. However, her smile soon faded at his next words.

"A nice quote for an optimist, but people like you and I, do not have the luxury of such thoughts—blindly hoping people will follow where we point. Optimists have no room in business, your father should have taught you that a long time ago Hyuuga," he told her harshly.

Hinata's eyes widened with hurt at his words. He didn't understand.

However, she would not be put off by his harsh words. She already knew what he would say next, what he now thought of her. He was just like her father, and like her father, he didn't understand her.

"It is said that a great leader is one who listens to the voice of the people, but how do you hope to do this when you can't even listen to me?" she asked him calmly.

Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"You are more than you appear, Hyuuga."

Hinata inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"But your words are for dreamers," he continued on.

"I am aware of that, but I will not change my views," she told him.

This time it was Itachi's turn to incline his head, silently acknowledging her words.

"We shall see if they prove right," he told before walking away, leaving a slightly dazed heiress behind.

"_Did I win?"_ she silently asked herself, as he saw him walk away from her.

She had known who he was even before Sasuke introduced him to her. He was the genius Uchiha heir. How could she, the failure of the Hyuuga Clan, not have heard of **_him_**. Her father often spoke of the blessing Fugaku Uchiha had received with his two children. In his mind, her father believed he had been handed the short end of the stick with an heir such as her. While other families were blessed with not one but two genius heirs that could lead their company's in the future, he, the Chairman of one of the world's most prestigious corporation's, was stuck with a half-talented shy daughter. Although, anybody would have said she had every reason to be envious or even hate the Uchiha genius, she could not help but feel pity for him.

"Oi, Hinata. What are you doing standing all alone in the middle of the hallway?" asked Naruto, while a disinterested looking Sasuke stood behind him.

"Umm, I was just talking with Itachi, but he just left," she automatically answered, still a little confused with her encounter with the older Uchiha.

Naruto nodded at her words, before turning back to Sasuke and continuing a conversation he had obviously been having before they encountered her.

Hinata looked on as Naruto and Sasuke walked away, one talking non-stop, while the other pretended he wasn't listening—though both knew different. She watched as they turned a corner and disappeared. Standing alone once again, Hinata brought her thoughts back in order. Thus, determined to get all thoughts of Itachi out of her mind, she continued with her inspection of the mansion.

Later, after she had examined the entire mansion, she spoke with Shikamaru, Temari, and Itachi about her findings. Being in Itachi's presence once more had made her a little fidgety, but she was determined to ignore it, and continued on with her report. After saying all she needed to say, she let the others state their opinions.

"It's a good idea Hinata," Temari commented with a smile.

"Thank you," Hinata said a little embarrassed.

"Okay," Temari said loudly, gaining everyone's attention, "we'll go round-up everyone and tell them the new plan."

At her words, everyone dispersed, and half an hour later the parlor was brimming with people.

"What's all this Hinata?" Kiba asked, while sitting on the floor. Next to the enthusiastic dog-lover, sat a stoic Shino, who was sitting on a chair; Kiba at his feet.

"Yeah, what's up?" asked Naruto, who was also sprawled out on the floor and resting his head on Sasuke's legs. Sasuke sat next to Naruto looking annoyed, but said nothing about the blonde's choice of lounging equipment.

Seeing everyone present, Temari cleared her throat, and began to explain.

"So you're saying we should leave the mansion as it is, except for vital repairs such as a broken stair, or window," Kankuro said thoughtfully, reflecting over the recently made plan.

"Yes," Temari answered.

"Hinata figured it out. She made an inspection of the mansion and thought it was in good condition, except for a few obvious repairs here and there. Besides, we got this house because it looked scary. If we clean it out, then what's the point? Clean isn't scary people," she stated, "We should let the house retains its natural aura, besides, less work for us," she said with a smile.

"That makes sense," Choji said from his spot beside the door.

"We get that part," Kiba interjected, "now get back to the whole partner and room thing."

"It's simple," Neji spoke from his seat, and immediately all eyes turned to him.

By the time he and Gaara had come down for the impromptu meeting, all the other seats had been taken, so the two had a choice between the floor, or the French antique loveseat that dominated the parlor. Not wanting to sit on the hard wooden floor, both boys had opted for the deceitful loveseat. The arms of the loveseat elegantly flared out, making it appear spacious, which was far from the truth.

Gaara was the first to sit, and soon after Neji followed suit. After Neji sat down, he found himself very close to the red-head, who was mere inches away but not uncomfortably near. Seconds after the two boys took their seats; a happy Kankuro strolled into the room, and sat next to Gaara on the armchair of the loveseat. Instinctively, Gaara moved aside to give his brother some room, but as he moved toward Neji, he unknowingly closed the distance between them. Consequently, both boys found themselves in an awkward situation, and each was blatantly aware of the foreign hip that touched their own.

"Then explain, Hyuuga," Kiba said a little annoyed. He was tired and just wanted to finish up, and go home.

Ignoring Kiba's annoyed tone, Neji continued on.

"Since we have less than a month to get this house ready for Halloween, Hinata thought it was best if we left the house as it is, and focus on individual rooms. Two people will be in assigned to a room of their choice. The two partners will then fix the room according to the skit they will be doing."

"Nicely put, Neji," Temari commented.

"Okay, listen up everyone. We need at least four tour guides, and the rest will be assigned to different rooms. You can do just about anything you want to scare people, just make sure it's scary," Temari warned. "You can all take the day off, and decide who your partner will be. Remember, it's not too late to get someone to help out so if you know anyone who would like to help, don't hesitate to bring them. We'll meet back here in two days, which should give you some time to think about what you're going to do."

With those last words, Temari let them go.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

"Stop being a lazy ass, Shikamaru, and help me," yelled a frustrated Temari, as she came into the unofficial technical room. This was the third time she had come to get him, and like before he was still typing on his laptop. She was getting very annoyed by now, especially since they still needed to visit each room in order to check if their technical improvements had worked. However, every time she came into the tech. room, he would simply mutter something about _"troublesome women" _and _"always nagging"._ If he didn't get his lazy butt up, she was going to blow a casket and do something drastic.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. So, troublesome," he muttered as his hands effortlessly flew on the keyboard effectively shutting off his laptop. As he stood up, he stretched his arms and silently made his way to the door, where a fuming Temari stood waiting for him.

"_Finally,"_ she thought, but kept her mouth shut as he made his way to her. If it wasn't for the fact that the lazy genius was irreplaceable, she would have gladly done away with him a long time ago. But as it turned out, it was only thanks to him that they were as far along with their project as they currently were. He was the one that made sure everything got done behind the scenes, and now that Halloween was just a mere two days away, he had become an essential part of their final preparations.

"_Now, if he would only hurry his butt up, then we could get this last inspection done with and I can go home and relax,"_ Temari thought as she watched Shikamaru, slowly put his laptop away. As she watched his progress, her thought once again turned away from inspections and instillations. It happened every time she spent any amount of time with the lazy genius.

They were so different, yet so alike.

Half the time she was intrigued by him, and the other half she wanted to punch him. Shikamaru had turned out to be a very complex male, which captivated her interest to no end, since most guys were quite easy to figure out. The Nara's mind worked in a completely different level than most people, and she had always been a sucker for intelligent men. And the fact that he was a gentlemen through and through raised Temari's opinion of him tenfold. However, Shikamaru was also the epitome of lazy and dull. If there was one thing that Temari couldn't stand was a lethargic person. She was the type of person that loved moving at a fast pace. She was a dynamic person who loved feeling potent and powerful; she craved the rush of adrenaline as it hit her system at high speeds. But Shikamaru was more the type to languidly lounge about rather than step a foot outside his room. He would rather lie on the grass and watch the clouds passed by.

Shikamaru represented both extremes on Temari's love and hate list. As a result, every time she was near him, she always ended up frustrated. His lethargic manner annoyed her to no end, yet his intelligence and gentlemanly ways intrigued her beyond words. Bluntly putting it, Temari didn't know whether to kiss him senseless, or give him a good right hook. To use his words, 'this was so troublesome'.

As Shikamaru reached her side, Temari simply turned around and made her way to their first stop, knowing he would follow.

The first room they visited was Choji's and Ino's room. In the two days Temari had given everyone to find a partner and make up a skit, Choji had gathered up his courage and asked Ino if she would like to help out with the Haunted House project. Ino had been enthusiastic about the entire idea, and had asked Choji if she could invite both Sakura and Lee, to which Choji gladly agreed to. Thus, thanks to Choji, three new people had arrived to help them. Ino had remained with Choji, while Lee and Sakura became tour guides.

"Are all the remotes working okay?" Temari asked them, as she inspected both remote controls she and Shikamaru had rigged up for them. She then turned her attention to the small night vision cameras she had personally installed, and was pleased to note that they were virtually invisible, and the same was true for the speakers Shikamaru had installed. So, taking one last look at their work, Temari turned her attention back to Ino and Choji.

She had to admit the room looked good. All the cages were scattered around the room and with the sound effects she and Shikamaru had in store for them, their skit would turn out, to her utter delight, creepy and scary.

"Yeah, they're working great," Ino answered, "we just tried them out about ten minutes ago before you two got here."

"Great. Well, if there's nothing else you two need, them we'll go check out the rest of the rooms."

"That sounds good. Choji and I just need to take care of some last minute details before we take off for the day. These cages are kind of old, so they require more attention," Ino commented, as she waved the two technicians off.

The next room on their tour was Shino's and Kiba's room. As they arrived at the door of the room, Temari reached for the doorknob, and to her surprise, found it locked. She looked back at Shikamaru, who only gave her a bored look, before knocking on the door.

"Don't open the door," Kiba instantly yelled. Temari just stood outside the door and waited for them to finish up whatever they were doing. Instantly, she heard a loud crash followed by a few curse words coming from a now whining Kiba. Next she heard someone cross the room, and a scraping sound near the door indicated that that same someone had set something down in from of the door. After that, Temari heard a latch being undone, and with a solid thud someone jumped on the floor before unlocking the door for them. Temari waited till the person in front of the door removed whatever contraption they had set in front of it before making her entrance.

As she and Shikamaru walked into the room Kiba and Shino were using for their skit, she instantly knew the reason for Kiba's earlier outburst. In the corner of the room, Kiba lay sprawled on the floor, afraid to move as various tarantulas crawled around an opened container, which they had obviously been kept in. However, the tarantulas were not the reason goosebumps broke on Temari skin at the site in front of her. She had to admit, Kiba and Shino skit would paralyze anyone with fear. She watched as Shino collected the tarantulas that now surrounded a frightened Kiba, and could not help but shutter at the bucket that Shino had put down in order to help his friend out of his predicament. Determine not to show her unease, Temari continued on as normal, as if the creatures in the buckets were nowhere in site.

"We just came to make some last minute inspections," Temari started, keeping her eyes on the two people in front of her and making sure she didn't look down.

After Shino collected the last of the tarantulas, he left the room in order to put them away to their proper place. Watching his friend go, Kiba picked himself up from the floor and walked toward the two technicians.

"Aside from the incident that just occurred, we pretty much go everything under control. We tested the latch Shikamaru put together for us earlier, and it worked perfectly," Kiba told them.

"Good to hear. So, do you guys need anything else?" she asked. "If not, Shikamaru and I are going to check out how Naruto and Sasuke are doing."

"Well, we do need one thing," Kiba began sheepishly; as he gestured to the bucket that Shino had left on the floor. "You see, I sort of broke the glass tank we were keeping the leeches in, so now we don't really have anywhere to put them in."

"Wait, I thought we got you guy's two glass tanks?" Temari asked as she narrowed her eyes. She had insisted on getting two glass tanks just in case one broke, she did not want to have a hoard of leeches loose around the mansion. She shuttered at the thought.

"Well, you see," Kiba continued a little awkwardly, "Shino and I decided to use the other glass tank to hold the tarantulas," he explained.

"I thought you didn't need somewhere to hold the tarantulas since you were just going to set them loose anyway," Temari said as she tried to figure out why they needed a holding cell for the tarantulas.

"It was really Shino's idea," Kiba explained. "He thought that it would be a better idea to switch the tarantulas every once in a while. You know, leave half in the holding cell, while we leave the other half loose. That way, it'll minimize the possibility of some of them getting violent."

"Okay, okay. I'll call Itachi on my cell," she told him, as she whipped out her cell phone and pressed re-dial. She was not going to argue. If they needed another tank to hold the leeches then she would make sure they got another tank.

"We'll see you guys later," Temari told him as she walked out of the room, cell phone placed on her right ear.

As she and Shikamaru went to their next stop, she informed Itachi of the situation, and let him take care of it.

As they neared the next room on their route, Temari had to sigh as she heard the blonde's shouts throughout the hallway as he threatened to **"…kick your ass, as soon as I get out of here". **Temari simply shook her head, and took a calming breathe before entering the room.

The room was full of open caskets but that didn't faze the female Sabaku. She had already grown used to the site; however, what really stumped her for a minute were Naruto's shouts emitting from within a closed casket. She swiftly turned an angry glare toward the Uchiha, who was arrogantly sitting on a chair next to the closed coffin, as if nothing was amiss. He sat smirking at the coffin as Naruto's shouts got louder along with the thumping coming from inside the casket.

Using her right hand, Temari rubbed her face, while a frown broke out on her normally lively features. She did not want to deal with this right now, but she should have known this was bound to happen sooner or later what with the way those two acted around each other.

"Sasuke, let him out," Temari told him tiredly.

Without getting up from his seat, Sasuke reached out and flicked a small lock; thus, releasing Naruto from his velvet prison. Immediately, Naruto threw open the door, and tackled the Uchiha sitting on the chair. Not surprisingly, the chair fell back at the blonde's forward momentum; consequently sending the two tumbling to the floor in the midst of their battle.

Temari just shook her head at their childish behavior, while the two teens rolled on the floor, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. Deciding enough was enough, she effectively ended the wrestling match by pulling the Uchiha off the blonde he was currently straddling, and threatened to cut-off their manhood if they didn't stop their ceaseless arguing. At her words, both boys immediately stopped their bickering.

"You two act like such little kids. Sheesh. I should just lock you two in a room and get it over with," she told them absentmindedly while ranting her annoyance. However, at her words Sasuke instantly paled, while Naruto's cheeks turned a brighter shade of pink as he blushed. Temari looked at one boy then the other, not understanding their peculiar reactions. So, opting to ignore their weird behavior, Temari continued on with the technical check up. _"Boys are just weird sometimes,"_ she thought to herself, while a picture of Gaara and Kankuro came to mind. _"…and sometimes some are weirder than others." _

"Anyways, the reason we're here," she said referring to Shikamaru and herself, "is to check up on the installations we made yesterday."

She and Shikamaru had spent weeks putting together the various components that Sasuke had asked for their skit. When Sasuke had first asked them if they could pull off what he requested he had hinted that he didn't really think that she and Shikamaru had the capability of doing what he asked of them. She knew that the Uchiha was just taunting them, but Temari was never one to back down from a challenge, and so, she and Shikamaru had worked endlessly on the specifications that required hours of laborious work, but in the end it had been worth it. The Chuckie dolls looked and moved so real that if she hadn't designed them herself she would have thought the possessed doll had risen from the of screens Hollywood and into reality.

"They're working," Sasuke answered in his usual lack of vocabulary. It was a miracle he even answered at all. In the entire time Temari had known him, she had heard him speak only a hand full of times, and even then his words were usually aimed at the blonde. It seemed he was only talkative when he was fighting with Naruto.

"Have you tested them?" Temari asked, getting annoyed at the Uchiha's nonchalant manner, but wanting to know how her creations were holding up.

"Yeah, as soon as we got here we tested the new installation you and Shikamaru did for us. The dolls were working great, and even better, they looked scary as hell," Naruto answered in his usual enthusiastic manner.

"Che, only you would be scared of something you know is fake," Sasuke taunted the blonde, and smirked as Naruto gave him the reaction he was aiming for.

"Bastard. I didn't say I was scared," the blonde yelled at his long time rival, "If you had been paying attention then you would know that I said that it **looked** scary, not that I **was** scared."

Sasuke simply gave Naruto a smirk of superiority, which only worked to make the blonde bristle with anger. So, not wanting to stop another clash between rivals, Temari told Naruto to calm down; but not before giving the Uchiha a malevolent glare. He obviously knew the quickest way to provoke the blonde.

"So I presume the dolls work?" Temari asked.

"Yeah, they work," Naruto answered still a little mad at Sasuke.

"Good. Now, if you two can behave for a minute, Shikamaru and I still need to go visit Gaara and Neji."

So with those words, she left the two to their own devices.

Knowing Shikamaru would follow, she made her way down to the basement where Neji and Gaara had set up their skit.

As she reached the basement, she briskly knocked on the door before opening it, and descended the long steps into the dreary basement of the Bailey Mansion. As she neared the bottom of the steps, she saw as her brother, with Neji's help, moved an antique looking table to the side of the room.

"Have you two tested out the ear-piece?" Temari asked them, as she entered the dank room.

"We tested it yesterday and it was working fine," Neji answered, as he let go of the hefty table. They had already positioned it where they needed it.

"That's good," she said, before turning worried eyes toward her younger brother. She didn't know why he had insisted on using the basement for his skit with Neji. When she and Kankuro had found out about his chosen room, they were immediately against the idea. Due to all the things their father had put him through; the two Sabaku's had presumed their little brother hated basements. Yet he showed no reaction to the dank space.

Temari was worried for him, but she could not stop him simply because she wanted to protect him from his past. Thus, after their initial protests, she and Kankuro had said nothing more on the matter. It wasn't as if they could protect him from his own memories anyways.

Gaara noticed Temari's concerned expression but said nothing. She was still worried about him.

"So are you guys almost done?" Temari asked as she tried to conceal her concern.

"We'll be done in an hour, two at the most," Neji answered once again.

"Don't work too hard. Well, we'll leave you two alone. Shikamaru and I still need to go over some last minute details," she said as she pointed toward her silent shadow.

"Right Shikamaru," she said warningly as she turned around to face the quiet male behind her.

"Che. So, troublesome," he muttered before turning around and heading for the stairs.

"I'll see you later Gaara okay," she told her younger brother as she turned toward the stairs, where a muttering Shikamaru was currently climbing.

Gaara simply nodded as he watched his sister run up the steps and threatened to throw Shikamaru's laptop off the building if he didn't hurry up. Shikamaru just sighed before increasing his pace.

From the corner of the room, Neji watched as Gaara turned away from the stairs.

Noticing the Hyuuga's eyes on him, Gaara raised his eyes in silent question.

"Why is she always worried about you every time she comes down here," Neji bluntly asked.

Without answering Neji's question, Gaara began to clean up the floor, which was littered with various items he and Neji had used.

His back still toward the Hyuuga, Gaara decided to answer him.

"She doesn't like the idea of me down here," Gaara told him.

Now it was Neji's turn to raise his eyes in silent question. Gaara noticed this and continued with his explanation.

"My father was never fond of me, and he often locked me in the basement as punishment for bad behavior," the red-head told him as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Neji heard his explanation, but could not possibly understand it. He had grown up with a loving father, and although it was short lived, he knew the love of a parent. Thus, he could not fathom a father who was not, as Gaara had put it "fond" of their child. Even Hiashi loved his eldest daughter. Yes, he was harsh with her, but it was only to prepare her for the role she was to take in life. So, having never known rejection from a parent, Neji could not comprehend Gaara's words.

"I don't understand. Why did he lock you in the basement?" Neji asked the short male in front of him. He could not conceive how a parent could lock their own child in a cold and dark room such as the basement.

"I already answered that," Gaara told him, as he bent down to grab his book bag, which lay propped against a dusty chair.

Still trying to comprehend Gaara's words, Neji decided to leave it be for the moment. There would be ample opportunities to ask him later, besides they still needed to finish up so they could go home. It was Thursday afternoon, and Halloween was only two days away. Time sure did fly past them.

"Neji, have you picked a spot for your death scene yet?" Gaara asked him, effectively snapping him back to the current situation.

"The middle of the room should be fine," Neji responded, having already figured it out the night before.

Gaara only nodded in response.

"Do you think we should do another run through the performance?" Neji asked him as he picked up a linen cloth and artfully placed it on the antique table. The two had decided to decorate the basement in a traditional old-English style, so that anyone who entered the room would be put at bay at the quaint setting. However, they had no intention of letting any who entered their domain to remain in such a state. While the other groups used elaborate schemes to scare any who came through their chosen room, he and Gaara had decided to scare those who stumbled upon the basement through a well rehearsed performance. They had practiced endlessly, making sure the timing was exact; and because of this, he and Gaara had spent a large portion of their time together. Something he was more than pleased with; subsequently, as the time they spent together increased, so did Neji's interest in the younger male.

The pale-eyed Hyuuga became more and more engrossed by the anomaly that was Gaara, and as much as he tried, he had yet to understand the red-head who encompassed a large portion of his thoughts. Sufficient to say, this frustrated the Hyuuga to no end. It also didn't help that Gaara constantly surprised him with his unpredictable behavior.

**Flashback **

**1 week ago**

_In the basement of the old Bailey Mansion, two boys lay on the floor in utter exhaustion. A male with blood-red hair sat on the floor panting, while his lavender-eyed partner stood a ways away trying to regain his own breathing. _

_The two had been practicing for two weeks now, and along with school and fixing up the basement in their spare time, both were nearly at their limit._

_They had just run through their entire performance, and now, both boys were exhausted. The last two weeks were quickly catching up with them._

_Sitting on the floor, Gaara began to control his breathing in order to stop his excessive panting, and after a few controlled breathes, he managed to regain control of himself. Thus, in control of his body once more, Gaara quickly began to analyze their performance; looking for any mistakes or need for improvement._

_A few feet away, Neji watched as Gaara quickly controlled his breathing before diving deep into his mind. Throughout their time together, Neji had noticed similar instances in which the red-head would plunge into his mind; deep in thought. In this state, Gaara was unaware of the world around him, and every time he resurfaced, which only took a few minutes, he often had a great plan for improvement. However, whenever this occurred, Neji was much too interested in admiring the shorter male to care about such things as improving their enactment. It was one of the few times he could blatantly observe the other male without having to be careful of getting caught; thus, he diligently took advantage of every opportunity since it didn't occur as often as he would like. _

_However, at the moment, Neji was more interested in controlling his mad blush than observing his partner. It happened every time they practiced his death scene. Gaara would play the part of the killer, while Neji played the hopeless victim. In his struggles to get away from his would-be murderer, Neji would lose his footing and fall on the floor taking Gaara with him. And so, Neji ended up on the floor, with Gaara on top, straddling his lower torso. _

_Of course, Gaara was only on top of him because it was the only way to hide their props, and disguise what was truly going on. However, every time they practiced that scene, it played a toll on Neji's control. After numerous practices, they had finally gotten the timing right and Neji had finally realized the problem: he had a romantic interest in Gaara. _

_It had surprised him at first, since he never considered the option, even though he had never had any interest in girls. He had always assumed that he had simply yet to meet the right girl, never considering that the problem was that he had yet to meet the right **boy**. At first, he had been a little reluctant to admit the truth, but if his burning cheeks didn't convince him, then his wet dreams sure as hell had. _

_Neji was never one to run away from the truth, so once he figured out his feelings for his partner, he accepted them, and himself. The only problem now was Gaara's thoughts on this new development. Neji wasn't sure if the red-head was even gay, or if he would return his feelings. However, that was easily figured out with a few choice words and suggestive gestures on his part. Besides, he was Hyuuga Neji; he could get anything if he set his mind to it. So, with those final thoughts, he decided to check on Gaara. _

_As Neji's cheeks returned to their normal hue, he turned to his partner who was currently watching him. _

"_What?" Neji asked him, noticing Gaara's intense stare. He had experienced similar encounters with the red-head, and each time it left him guessing at the red-head's thoughts. He was never quite sure what Gaara saw every time he looked at him with those intense teal eyes. _

_At his question, Gaara dropped his stare, and picked himself up off the floor. He walked up to Neji, who was still sitting on the floor, and offered him his hand. Surprised at the other's unexpected offer, it took Neji a minute before he snapped himself out of his revere and accepted the offered hand. Gaara easily pulled him up, and to Neji's shock, didn't release his hand. After a minute, and without any explanation for his actions, Gaara simply released his hold, and walked past him, heading for the stairs. _

"_It's getting late, we should probably head home," Gaara told him as he climbed the stairs, leaving a shocked Hyuuga behind. _

_Taking deep breathes to calm his erratic heart-beat; Neji followed his partner outside, where Gaara was patiently waiting for him. The drive back to the red-head's house was awkward to say the least, and Neji was relieved to see the other's house as they rounded the corner. As soon as Gaara parked the car, Neji reached for the handle and let himself out. _

_Since they were both driving to the same place, Neji had decided to leave his car at Gaara's house, but before they had departed he had accidentally left his keys inside his partner's home. Any other time he would have enjoyed spending more time with the shorter male, but at the moment he was too jittery to enjoy this new development due to the red-head's earlier actions. All he wanted to do was grab his keys and drive straight home. He didn't even care that he would have to eat dinner with the family; he just needed to get away from the potent male that affected him so much. _

_Thus, Neji walked up to the other's house and briskly knocked on the door waiting for Temari to answer, since it was still to early for Kankuro to be back from work; it was barely 6 o'clock. _

_Not hearing anyone inside, Neji inwardly groaned as he realized that Temari wasn't home, and as if on cue, he heard Gaara's footsteps behind him. Neji stepped to the side to allow Gaara to unlock the door, then silently followed him inside. As they stepped into the empty house, younger male flicked on the lights and headed for the kitchen where Neji had left his keys. However, after inspecting the spotless kitchen Neji's keys were nowhere to be found. _

"_I'll call Temari and ask her where she left them," Gaara said as he noticed the Hyuuga's panic, at the loss of his keys. _

"_Thanks," the brunette managed to say, as he watched his partner pull out his cell phone. _

_A minute later, Temari answered, and began to talk to her younger brother._

"_Why did you take them to my room?" Gaara asked her a little annoyed after his sister told him where he could find Neji's keys. _

_Hearing Gaara's words, Neji decided to grab the keys himself. Temari was ranting about Shikamaru on the other line and it seemed that Gaara would be stuck on the phone a little longer than he had anticipated. _

_Stepping out of the kitchen, Neji climbed the steps and recalling his memory, headed for Gaara's room. _

_After the incident with his illness he had not been back to the other's room. He wasn't really sure if Gaara would get angry at him for trespassing into his room without permission, but at the moment, all he cared about was getting back to his car and driving home. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could organize his thoughts. So, risking the red-head's anger, Neji opened the other's bedroom door and stepped inside, only to be frozen with awe. _

_Gaara's room was literally covered with a dozens of glass sculptures of various designs. The large oak desk which dominated the left side of the room was covered with a variety of tools, chemical vials, and glass sculptures. Recovering from his momentary stupor Neji forgot all about his keys and made his way to the large oak desk where he picked up an empty chemical vial and read the label. _

"_Cobalt oxide," he read, confused beyond words; but he was soon distracted from his thoughts as he caught sight of a beautiful glass vase across the room. Neji quickly put down the chemical vial and headed straight toward the vase, and to his utter delight he caught sight of another beautifully done sculpture. _

_And so, that was how Gaara found him when he entered his room. After Temari had rambled on about Shikamaru for about five straight minutes, Gaara had finally had enough and told her to just ask the guy out already. Temari had been speechless, a fact he quickly took advantage of, and hurriedly said his good-bye to his sister before hanging up the phone. As soon as he noticed Neji's absence, he knew where the other male was bound to be, and so, Gaara walked up the stairs already knowing Neji would not have waited for him outside. _

"_I call it 'Oceanic Dreams'," Gaara said, standing behind Neji._

_At his words, Neji instantly stiffened. Was Gaara mad at him for intruding into his private domain? _

"_I'm not angry at you for entering my room," Gaara continued as if reading the taller male's mind. _

_Relieved at Gaara easy attitude, Neji relaxed, and continued admiring the two sculptures on the red-head's book shelf. Turning to the side, so he could watch both Gaara and the glass sculptures, Neji asked him a few questions that had plagued his mind ever since he stumbled upon this virtual treasure chest._

"_Did you make these?" he asked Gaara. _

"_Yes," the red-head answered without further explanation. _

"_Then, I presume you're a glass-blower," he asked him politely, more like himself. _

"_You could say that. It's a hobby of mine," Gaara answered in an even voice. _

"_A hobby," Neji repeated the other's words, a little astounded at Gaara indifference, "Do you realize how beautiful these sculptures are? Museums would be clamoring to show-case glass art like this. I might not like art that much, but I am a Hyuuga and as such, I know good art when I see it, and Gaara, your work is exceptional." _

"_Which one do you prefer?" Gaara asked him, ignoring the other's words._

_At the other's question, Neji turned back to the two art pieces for a more thorough inspectiopn; however, he could not choose one over the other. The first, the one Gaara had called 'Oceanic Dreams' was beautiful in that it captured the ocean's mysterious beauty in a cyclone of sparkling waves. On the other hand, the vase next to it was beautiful with its dark gothic style. _

"_I can't choose, they're both breathe-taking in their own way," Neji answered him truthfully. _

"_Then you can have them both," Gaara told him, as he went to his desk to grab the forgotten keys. _

"_What?" Neji quickly whirled around as he voiced his surprise, "I can't accept something like that."_

"_Why not? You like it, so I'm giving it to you."_

"_Don't you want to keep it?" Neji asked him, a little astounded that Gaara wanted him to have such a precious gift._

"_If I keep them, there only going to be sitting around my room, another piece of glass amongst many," Gaara answered him, "Besides, I want you to have them. Now come on, grab them and I'll walk you to your car."_

_Not waiting for the Hyuuga's response, Gaara walked out of the room and headed for the stairs. A minute later, he was joined by Neji, two sculptures carefully tucked away in each arm. _

"_Thank you," Neji told him, unsure what else to say to such generosity. The sculptures were truly magnificent. _

_He followed the red-head out of the house, and after Gaara opened the door for him; he cautiously set both figures down, making sure they were secure. He then turned around to face the object of his affection, and deciding that now was best time to find out the other's feelings, Neji took the first steps away from friendship. _

_He took one step toward the red-head in front of him, and watched as Gaara's eyes narrowed in suspicion as his taller form overshadowed the shorter male. Wanting no space between them, Neji took another step toward the red-head, effectively closing the distance between them. To his utter delight, the Hyuuga observed as Gaara's eyes widen in shock as he effectively invaded the other's personal space. For a moment time stopped as pale lavender clashed with teal. They were at another precipice, and to Neji's intense pleasure, he watched as teal eyes slowly turned a soft blue—Gaara was surrendering to the moment. _

_BEEP.BEEP._

"_Neji, can you move your car out of the drive way," Kankuro yelled out the window, successfully ruining the moment._

_Gaara regained his mind, and quickly stepped away from the other male; not understanding what was happening to his body. A few feet away, Neji watched as Gaara's eyes returned to their normal teal color as he slowly retreated away from him. Neji couldn't help but curse at Kankuro's crappy timing._

"_I'm already leaving," Neji told an annoyed Kankuro, who, thanks to Neji's car which had been blocking his view of the two males, had not seen what had just transpired between the two, nor his part in ruining the Hyuuga's moment of triumph. _

_Sighing at the lost opportunity, Neji got into his car and backed out of the drive-way. Before leaving he took one last look at Gaara, but was disappointed to notice the other had already gone inside. Thus, Neji turned into the road and headed home, far more confused than he had been before. _

**End Flashback**

Gaara inspired more emotion in someone who had thought themselves lost of such feelings long ago, Neji thought as he remembered his lost opportunity

"No, we're as good as we're going to get. All we need is rest," Gaara answered his earlier question, before the Hyuuga had gone off into his own thoughts.

"Okay," Neji answered him, as he tried to remember what they had been talking about.

The two boys finished arranging the room and after they finished, they said good-bye to each other and headed home for some much needed rest. They would not be returning till Halloween night.

Author's Note: If any of you are wondering what the sculptures Gaara gave Neji, I have posted the address where you can view both sculptures in my profile. Simply copy and paste. Enjoy ;)

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

**Halloween Night**

At 16, David Donahue, thought he was at the top of his game. He was currently a sophomore, and along with his gang of friends, he was known as a notorious trouble-maker. They were self-proclaimed bad-assess, although they had never really done anything that could be considered illegal.

"Come on Lucan," David yelled at his younger brother who was lagging behind—_again_. His friends had called him earlier reporting that the line for the Haunted House tour was steadily getting longer and longer. He did not want to wait in line; subsequently, he needed to get to the old manor before his friends were let in; since they were saving a spot for both, he and Lucan.

Apparently, the Haunted House had become the 'thing' to do this year. Everyone who was anyone was going to be there taking the tour. For three weeks, advertisements graced the local papers, and dozens of posters littered the most frequented area. Thus, by the time Halloween rolled around, taking the Haunted House tour was a must, and the fact that the tour was located at the Old Bailey Mansion, only added to the fun.

"You're lucky mom told me not to leave you alone; otherwise, you would have been spending Halloween all alone at home with a bunch of rotting pumpkins," David told his younger brother, who had picked up his pace. "So, since I can't actually leave you at home you get to tag along with me and my friends while we take the tour," David continued with an evil glint in his eye.

At his words, Lucan visibly paled. He didn't understand why boys his age liked getting scared to death. He hated this whole situation, especially as his older brother laughed at his predicament. He would have been much happier staying at home and passing out candy for the trick-or-treaters that eagerly knocked on his door, but he had no choice but to accompany his older brother since his mom was currently at work. For the last week, she had been coming home late from work. Apparently, she as working on a big project, and knowing she would be arriving late, yet again, she had asked David to take care of him. Of course, being a teenage boy, David had refused to baby sit his little brother on Halloween night, and after much arguing, his older brother had finally agreed to take him along as he and his friends 'hung-out' as he had so artfully put it; hence, his current dilemma. Lucan was being dragged off to the Haunted House that had been advertised in the papers for the last few weeks.

"_Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"_ he mentally asked the darkening clouds, as he followed his brother to the old mansion. He was not looking forward to this one bit.

"_Oh, well. I can't do anything about it now,"_ he thought as he sighed in defeat. After walking for another 5 minutes, they finally made it.

Bailey Manor was an imposing sight what with its dark interior and dreary trees that swayed in the wind, moaning their hatred. Lucan felt his heart drop to his feet as he watched tendrils of fog slither at the base of the mansion much like invisible hands out to get any who were stupid enough to fall into their grasps.

He was doomed.

"Come on, pipsqueak," his brother told him, as he spotted his friends waiting in line. They had yet to enter the manor, but were very close to the entrance. As he cut in line, he heard many people grumble in protest, but he paid no heed.

"So, how does it look?" David asked his friends as he walked up to them.

"Man, we have to get in soon. Everyone says it's the scariest shit," Brad enthusiastically told him as he recounted all the things they had seen and heard while waiting in line.

"We're almost there," David observed as Brad finished informing him of the many happenings that occurred in his absence.

"Yeah, the line isn't too bad," Dan answered. "There's actually a party going on in the parlor, where people can just hang out while they wait for their turn."

"Really," David said as he smirked at the news.

"Yeah, and I heard that at the end of the tour—"

"AHHHH!!!"

"OH MY GOD, VAMPIRES!!!"

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" shrieked a terrified male, as he crashed through the entrance and he ran out of the mansion at full speed, clashing into the people waiting in line. On his heels, three more guys rushed through the entrance and dived into the line of people with shouts of their own as they scrambled out of the mansion like a pack of zebras running away from a lion.

Lucan watched the entire scene with horrified eyes. Their wide-eyes and cold pale skin did not go unnoticed by the now terrified boy, and in an unconscious gesture of fright, Lucan took a step back, away from the mansion. However, his retreat was instantly stopped by a hand on his back.

"What was that?" questioned Brad, as he watched the group who had cut him off mid-sentence, crash into the people still in line in their desperate attempt to escape the mansion and whatever had driven them to such a terrified state.

"I don't know, but that just makes me want to get in there all the more," said an enthusiastic David as he kept his right hand on his younger brother's shoulder in order to keep him from dashing away like the group that had just hurtled through the crowd in panic. He knew the group of teens who had just run screaming from the foreboding manor. They were as well-known as his own group, and if the tour had managed to scare them to the point where they had run away in terror, then that just reassured him like nothing else could have that the tour was definitely worth his time. He couldn't wait.

"Hey, were moving," Chris interjected; another of David's friends.

After waiting for another few minutes, the group was quickly shown inside and escorted to the parlor. Once inside, David noticed that the room was full of chatting people, each waiting for their turn, and occasionally looking at the door at the far end of the room, where a pair of tour guides would announce the next group.

David and his friends quickly signed up for the tour, and paid the required fee. Now all they had to do was wait there turn, which wasn't too bad, since there was plenty of food, and good music to keep them occupied for a while.

And so the group of boys waited for their number to be called while they mingled with other people they knew from school.

In the far corner of the room and away from all the mingling people sat a lonely Lucan. To say he wasn't looking forward to the upcoming tour was an understatement. Every time the tour guides came through the far door, he would tense up in fear that his number would be called, and every time another's number was uttered, he would release the breathe he had unconsciously been holding. However, his relief was short-lived as he began the cycle all over again. The whole situation was playing on his nerves. He did not want to go on the tour but knowing his brother, he would have too; he had already paid for his ticket.

As he heard the door open once again, he watched as a tall male with long dark hair stepped out of the door, while a shy girl about his brother's age slowly followed behind. Looking at the odd couple, Lucan couldn't help but compare the two. While the short-haired girl looked to be the picture of innocence with her delicate features and soft manner, the male standing next to her was the epitome of a bad-boy with his dark steel eyes and black clothes that fit him just right in all the right places.

At their entrance, all eyes turned to them in excitement. Some girls sighed as the tall male entered the room, while the rest were just eager to hear if their number would be the next to be called.

"77," the tall male said in a deep and husky tone that melted the hearts of the female population in the room, with the exception of one lavender-eyed female.

"Alright!" Dan yelled cheerfully as the group of friends quickly headed for the door.

"Come on, Lucan," David told his younger brother, pointing toward their hosts.

Once outside the parlor, the tall male lead the way, while the shy lavender-eyed girl introduced herself as Hinata, and explained the tour to them.

Waiting patiently at the foot of the grand stair-case, Itachi, as Hinata had introduced him earlier, stopped his forward motion, and waited for the group to catch up. Seconds later the group of boys and Hinata reached the stoic male, at which point Hinata left the group's side to join her companion at the foot of the staircase.

"I trust Hinata has made all the proper introductions," he began, and seeing one of males nod his head in response, the Uchiha continued on. "Alright, as she already explained, we will be conducting a tour of the old Bailey mansion. While I guide you through the mansion, Hinata," he pointed to his silent partner next to him, "will acquaint you with the stories, both historical and fictional associated with the manor. At the end of the tour we will make our exit at the top of the grand stairway. From there," he then pointed to the top of the staircase three stories up, "you will make your way to a specified exit, which is located in the kitchen. I'll warn you now; the kitchen has two doors, one at the far right and one at the far left of the room. The door at the far right will lead you outside the manor, and the one at the far left leads to the mansion's basement." Itachi stopped here and asked the group if they understood to which he received several nods in confirmation.

"Also, be aware that we will not enter certain rooms with you. Instead, we will drop you off in front of the room, and wait for you on the other side. At your entrance, the door will be locked, and you will have to search for a hidden key that will open the door across the room from where you first entered. Do you understand?" Itachi asked as he finished his explanation.

"Yeah, we get it," David answered him, knowing that the rooms he was talking about was the main part of the tour and also where they would try to do something in order to frighten the group. This was going to be interesting, he thought.

"One last thing," Itachi continued. "Hinata has the right to stop any she wishes from entering a room," he told them.

"What? You have to be kidding me. We already paid for this," Dan yelled. Mad that he might be prevented from entering a room.

"Those are the rules. You will either follow them or you can leave now," Itachi told them, not caring what choice they made.

"We'll stay," David told him defiantly.

"Very well," the Uchiha said as he began to climb the steps.

"Umm…Itachi," Hinata called out with worried eyes.

Having rehearsed this many times, Itachi stopped on cue at the second step, and turned around to look at the shy girl. He saw, along with rest of the group, as her eyes darted to the basement doors. She looked a little scared as if she was afraid of what lay beyond.

"Very well then, if you insist," he told her. He then turned his attention back to the group of boys and spoke to them in warning.

"Hinata would like inform you not to go down to the basement," and without explanation, he turned around to continue going up the steps.

"Why can't we go to the basement?" David asked him in suspicion.

Back turned toward them, Itachi let a knowing smile grace his lips. _"There was always one in the group,"_ he thought, before turning his head around.

"Vampires," was all he said before he continued his trek up the steps. He ignored the inevitable questions that the group of boys threw at him, as he steadily climbed higher.

"_People are so easily manipulated," _he thought to himself, as he watched the others silently point to the basement doors in agreement. They were planning on doing a tour of their own down to the basement.

Itachi couldn't help but let another knowing smirk slip past his stoic face. Yes, people were very easily manipulated.

While Itachi escorted the group around the mansion, Hinata conveyed tales of fright and horror that had been circulating around the mansion for decades. Her soft lilting voice conjured up images of ghouls, vampires, and other frightful night creatures that had called the manor their home over the centuries. Soon the cluster of boys gathered near each other as they passed dark corridors and empty hallways that increasingly became darker and filled with suspicious creaks and scrapes.

"Our first stop," Itachi stated; breaking through the thrall Hinata's harmonic voice had placed them in.

"Shit," Dan hissed, as his heart pounded in fright. They had been listening to Hinata for nearly half an hour and Itachi's much deeper and commanding voice had scared the crap out of him.

Ignoring the effect his words had brought, Itachi gestured to the door in front of him; silently inviting them in.

"Umm, Itachi," Hinata interrupted, as the boys eagerly headed for the closed door.

Itachi raised his eyebrows in question, while the rest of the boys stopped their forward motion and placed their attention on her.

"I would like to keep Lucan with me," she told them gesturing to the boy. Itachi inclined his head in acknowledgement, while the rest of the boys simply shrugged their shoulders, uncaring of the new developments.

"Okay," Lucan instantly agreed, as he walked to Hinata's side.

"We'll see you on the other side," Itachi told them as he opened the door for them.

As the last boy entered the room, Itachi closed the door, and silently locked it.

He then turned around heading for the designated place where they were supposed to meet the group once they managed to unlock the door.

"I'm sorry I made you stay behind," Hinata silently apologized to Lucan as they walked behind Itachi's tall form.

"It's okay," Lucan assured her. "I didn't even want to come," hearing his own words, Lucan instantly covered his mouth as wide-eyes stared at Hinata in silent apology.

"I'm sorry," he instantly apologized, "I don't mean the tour is bad or anything, it's just that this kind of thing scares me. The only reason I'm even here is because my brother made me."

Hinata simply smiled at his words. This was exactly why she had insisted on preventing certain people from entering the rooms. Not everyone who came on the tour actually wanted to be there. Many were there due to peer pressure, bullying, or various other reasons.

Hinata provided those who did not want to participate, a respectable way out.

"I'm glad to hear that," Hinata told him as she walked along side Lucan. "Besides, you'll come to realize that you can have as much fun watching people get frightened as you would have getting frightened yourself."

And so, the Hyuuga female began to explain just what exactly lay in store for his brother. At the end of her explanation, Lucan could not help but smile at the genius of their plan. He was definitely going to have fun watching as his brother and his friends were scared senseless.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

Inside the room, the group of teens waited till their eyes adjusted to the dark.

When David opened his eyes to peer into the darkness beyond, he instantly froze in fear.

Glowing silver eyes of various sizes stared back at him and his friends from within iron cages.

Seconds later, he felt a cold hand grasp his shoulder as one of his friends noticed their predicament, and soon they were all aware of the intense eyes that watched them from beyond the darkness. David was the first to regain control of his body, and noting that they still needed to find the hidden key, he took charge of the situation.

"Okay, here's the plan—", he began, but his next words were immediately swallowed up by a loud roar that encompassed the entire room. The roar echoed through the walls and made its way deep into the very skin of each teen, till their skin bristled with goosebumps and their bodies once again froze in dread.

"_Oh. My. God." _They all though in unison.

There was a lion in one of the cages.

"I'm getting out of here," Dan instantly yelped as he whirled around to throw open the door, but his efforts proved useless. True to his word, Itachi had locked them in.

"Oh, Hell no," Bradley hissed as everyone else noticed the dilemma they were in.

At the sound of his voice, another animal emitted a low growl of hatred that could be none other than a large cat.

Everyone instantly stiffened. The room was full of caged animals.

Taking into account this new development, a silent moment of acknowledgement passed between all four friends as they all looked at one another in silently agreement to move as one. Not knowing what lay beyond the dark space before them, the group of friends began the slow progress of searching for the hidden key which would unlock the door at the far end of the room and grant them freedom. Deep in the dark crevices of the large room, glowing silver eyes silently followed their progress making the teens blatantly aware of their unwanted presence.

As the minutes dragged on, their steady pace was interrupted by Chris, who fervently pointed to a spot on the floor where a glint of silver shimmered with the little light that had squirmed its way inside. However, as luck should have it the key was in between two large cages. The reluctant group did not want to proceed, yet they had no choice, so they slowly made their way to the silver hope that lay on the dusty floor. It was the first time they had neared any of the cages in their frantic search, so they were extra careful; however, this caution proved to be in vain. At their approach both animals began to growl in fury.

In the next room, Choji and Ino watched as the group of teens approached the two cages where they had placed the key. Temari had set up night vision cameras, while Shikamaru had set up the speakers all over the room, so that Ino and Choji could see as well as hear what was happening in the other room. After finishing up their instillation, both technicians began to work on rigging up two remote controls that allowed the two to control the mechanical animals inside the cages.

Thus, having watched their progress so far, both Ino and Choji pressed their respective button on their own remotes as soon as the group of males neared the two caged animals. Instantly, the signal was sent out, and the mechanical animals let out a growl, and began to pound on the doors of the cages.

Ino giggled at as she watched the group of males back away in fright. Choji only smiled, happy that she was having a good time.

"Maybe one of us should grab the key," Brad whispered as the two large cats pounded their cage in a frenzy of hate-filled rage. At his words, the room exploded in angry growls and roars. The group of teens immediately backed away as the room exploded in sound as the rest of the animals joined in, rattling their cages and howling there displeasure in a desperately attempt to escape their iron prison.

In response, the boys pushed a trembling Brad toward the key. They figured since it was his idea, then he should be the one to execute it. Obviously, Brad did not see their logic and struggled against their shoves to no avail. So, accepting his fate, he slowly inched himself closer to the key as rage-filled eyes bore down on him by the two imprisoned animals on either side of him. Brad ignored the two cats as he reached out and clasped the key in his clammy hands. After retrieving the key, he instantly got up and rushed to the appropriate door. The rest of the group followed right behind, as the sounds of the caged creatures became louder. The sounds of rattling cages and growls of hate filled the room as if they were coming from everywhere.

In the next room, Ino and Choji nodded at each other with smiles as they decided execute the second part of their plan.

Back in the room full of caged animals, Brad had just reached the door. However, at next sound his heart jumped to his throat as fear based paralysis overtook his body. The sound of two cages crashing to the floor froze the rest of his friends in terror. The crash was soon replaced by a slow creak as two rusty metal doors slowly opened, and growls of displeasure filled the silent room.

"Unlock the door!!!" David franticly shouted to a panic-stricken Brad.

"_This is not happening,"_ David hysterical repeated in his mind as he clearly heard the first steps of one of the animals. Hearing padded feet touch the floor, David instantly felt a rush of adrenaline hit his system; and not wasting a moment, he grabbed the key from Brad's useless hand, and swiftly inserted it into the keyhole. Hearing the click of the lock, both animals attacked and ran toward the frenzy of males scrambling out of the room. As the last of his friends toppled out, David swiftly slammed the door on the two creatures.

"Glad you made it," said an un-fazed Itachi as he watched the group of males sprawled on the floor, desperately gulped down air; backs to the door from which they had just toppled out of. Next to him, Hinata and Lucan watched with wide eyes at the entrance, or exit, the group of teens had just made.

Seeing that the group was still trying to calm their rapidly beating hearts, Itachi gave them a minute before he pushed back on the wall he had been leaning on. He then began to walk gesturing to the group behind him to follow. Walking next to him, Hinata and Lucan, unknowing how to react or what to say simply held their silence.

Still sitting on the floor, David tried to rationalize what had just happened.

"_They couldn't have actually set wild cats loose on us,"_ he desperately reasoned. It was impossible.

In his search for answers, he looked at his friends, who were all thinking the same thing. Elaborately planned special effects and coordination had to be the reason behind what they had just gone through. Looking at Hinata's shy and open face, they could not believe that she would allow dangerous animals to be set loose on them. So, reasoning that it had to be some type of grand special effects, the group of teens got up and followed the departing trio.

As they followed Itachi, each boy started to praise the surreal special effects they had just witnessed hoping on of their hosts would agree with them. However, neither hosts said nothing as they continued on to their next destination.

Five minutes later, Itachi stopped in front of another door.

"Were here," Itachi said.

The walk to their next stop seemed very short to the group of teens. They had assumed it would take a little longer to reach their next destination, and thus, a little longer to calm their frayed nerves. However, they had no such luck, and not wanting to appear like a coward in front of their friends, they each entered the next room, excluding Lucan who was again staying behind at Hinata's insistence.

This time they were a little more cautious, and as Itachi closed and locked the door behind them, they were relived to find the room vacant of glowing silver eyes.

Like the last room, this room was dark. So, wanting to find the key as soon as possible, David took the reigns of leadership, and instructed each of his friends to split up in order to find a source of light.

Everyone nodded in agreement as they separated. A minute later, Brad screeched in terror, and scrambled away from a small antique table he had been searching. Hearing his screams, the rest of the group instantly ran to his side.

"What is it?" David asked him, his heart rate speeding up.

"Tarantula," was a Brad managed to say as he lost control of his breathing and had to take huge gulps of air.

"Calm down," David told him as he tried to help his friend control his breathing. "I'll help Brad out; the two of you look for a light switch or anything that might give us some light," David ordered.

Dan and Chris nodded their heads and continued their search; however, seconds later another scream was heard.

"Shit," yelled Dan as he ran toward David and a now shaking Brad.

"What happened?" David asked a little panicked as he inspected his friend.

"Damn it. The whole room is filled with tarantulas. Fuck, I hate spiders," Dan said as he calmed himself from his momentary fright.

"That's probably why Brad freaked out," Dan continued, pointing at Brad's trembling form, "he has arachnophobia. Spiders scare the shit out of him."

"Okay, at least we know what were dealing with here," David said, looking at the positive side.

"Yeah. I'm not that scared of spiders. The bastards just freaked me out for a moment. I mean, there huge mother-fuckers," Dan continued.

"Hey, anyone got a lighter," Chris called from the across the room.

"Yeah. I got one," Dan yelled back, a little curious as to why Chris might need a lighter. The two heard as Chris crossed the room and walked up to them holding an oil lamp in his left hand.

"I found this near the corner. A bunch of spiders were crawling all over it, but I managed to get them off," Chris said as he showed them the oil lamp.

"Finally, some light. We can finally see what the hell were dealing with here," David enthusiastically said, not wanting a repeat of their last stop.

Handing Chris his lighter, Dan watched as Chris lit the wick. Moments later, a golden sheen of light illuminated a few yards of darkness.

"What the FUCK!" Dan yelped as he noticed two figures in the room. They were not alone.

"Hey," said one of the figures. He had two red painted marks on his face, while his silent companion wore black sunglasses.

"Who the Hell are you?!" Dan demanded as his racing heart pounded in his chest.

"Whoa there," the same figure said. "We're just here to give you some friendly advice," he told them with a smile.

"The hell you are. What the fuck is up with all the damned spiders. You almost gave Brad there a heart attack," Dan said pointing to Brad, who had calmed down considerably but was still trembling.

"Look, do you want the advice or not?" the shorter male said.

"What's your advice?" David asked. If they were there to help them find the key, then he wouldn't turn them away.

Kiba aimed a smile toward the one who had spoken up, and continued with the plan.

"You see, Shino here," he pointed to his left where the other male stood, "wanted you all to look for the key through all the tarantulas, but being the good guy that I am; I convinced him that it would be better if we told you where the key is hidden. Otherwise, you would never find it."

So saying this, Kiba pointed to the door the group had entered through. Following the direction of his hand, Dan and David cursed under their breathe as they saw a large bucket hanging just to the side of the door, and high up on the wall. Without their help, like fools, they would have been searching the ground as dozens of tarantulas littered the floor.

David pointed to the bucket and looked at Dan in expectation.

"Fine. I'll get them," Dan said. To be honest, he would rather have this job than the last one. So, he picked up a chair and walked to the wall where the bucket was attached too. Having made sure the chair was tall enough; Dan stepped on it, and reached into the bucket that was still just above his head.

At the far end of the room, Kiba whispered to Shino, while the other male only nodded at his words.

"There's something in here," Dan yelled as he tried to grasp the key as what he assumed to be bugs, crawled all over his arms.

"_They're slick little fuckers,"_ he thought as their slimy bodies drenched his hand.

"Oww. Shit," he yelled as he quickly removed his hand from within the bucket.

"One of those fuckers bite me," he shouted looking at his now bloody hand.

"Did I forget to mention something," Kiba said with an air of someone who forgot something and was desperately trying to figure out what.

Everyone turned to him in suspicion.

"Oh yeah," Kiba said acting like he had just remembered.

"Shino, can you show them what they have to go through to get the missing key," the dog-love asked his silent friend.

In response, Shino took his hand out of his pocket and showed the group what lay wriggling between his fingers.

All four males jumped back away from him as they realized what he was holding.

"WHAT THE FUCK? A FUCKEN LEECH," Dan yelled as he pointed to Shino's hand.

"YOU SICK FUCK!" Dan screeched as he realized what exactly had bitten him on the hand.

"Now, now," Kiba said, wagging his finger at their behavior. "You should be grateful we told you where to find the key."

"What!! Grateful," continued Dan, a little hysterical due to his recent discovery. "You weren't the one who stuck his hand in a bucket full of those things."

"No. He's right. We are grateful," David said to the astonishment of both Kiba and Dan. "Chris, grab something to knock that bucket off the wall. We'll grab the keys then."

Chris nodded at his orders and did exactly that. A few minutes later, after they had managed to get all the leeches off the key, David grabbed it and headed for the door; the rest of the group following behind him. As he passed the two males, David gave them a saucy salute knowing he had gotten the upper hand.

However, what he didn't see was the knowing smirk that spread over Kiba's features at his cockiness.

"Well, it was nice meeting you two," David said before he put the key in the hole, and unlocked the door. "Hopefully, I'll never have to see you again," he continued as he opened the door.

"Ditto," Kiba said as he watched a bucket full of leeches come crashing down on the four males as soon as they opened the door.

"I love this job," Kiba told Shino as he watched all four guys hysterically run around the hallway trying to get the leeches off, all the while shrieking in terror.

Eventually, the group managed to get all the leeches off, and by the time they stopped jumping at any little touch, Itachi had come for them.

Without a word, he lead them across the hall, and toward another part of the mansion where Hinata and Lucan were patiently waiting for them.

At their arrival, Lucan could not help but notice the dramatic change in his older brother's behavior and appearance. He seemed a lot more jumpy than before. His eyes darted to the dark corridors as if he had caught a glimpse of something. His hair was frazzled and his face looked paler than usual.

"This is the last room," Itachi told them as they arrived in front of yet another door. "After this the tour ends."

To say that all four teens did not want to step foot in that room was an understatement, but it was the last room. All they needed to do was get through this last part, then this nightmare of a tour would be over.

"Are you ready?" Itachi asked them in a knowing voice.

The group of friends ignored his tone, and walked in the room with an air of defiance. They refused to play into his hand and act like a bunch of terrified girls who were afraid of their own shadow.

Like before, Itachi locked the door as soon as they entered.

The room they entered was pitch dark. What a surprise.

After what had happened in the other rooms, they were rightfully weary of venturing into the dark room. But they needed to find the key, and they couldn't do that with their backs plastered to the door.

So, giving in to the inevitable, David took a step into the darkness ahead.

"Hey, there's a light switch here," Chris called out, noticing the switch just a foot away from the door.

David sighed in relief. _"Thank God,"_ he thought.

Chris flipped the switch, and watched as the room was illuminated with a flickering dim yellow light.

"It's still better than the oil lamp," David commented, remembering the few yards the oil lamp had illuminated.

With the light bathing the room, David could now see four caskets on each corner of the room.

"Caskets? You have to be kidding me," Dan hissed angrily, knowing there were a few surprises in stored for them within the coffins.

However, the coffins were not what filled David nor the others with dread. No, what really had them worried were the dozens of demonic red-haired dolls that lay scattered around the room in various positions. Some were facing the wall with their hands covering their faces, as if they were playing hide-&-seek. Those were just creepy. Others held a knife in their small plastic hands, with a psychotic look on their face, while additional dolls were captured in various scenes of deadly intent.

Knowing it was useless to try and figure out why the dolls were there and in those murderous positions, David opted to ignore them for the moment.

"Okay. The keys are most likely in those caskets, so we'll search them first," David instructed.

"Umm, David," Chris interrupted.

"What is it?" David asked trying to keep his annoyance down. It had been Chris who had kept his cool and actually helped them get out of their other predicaments. As far as he was concerned Chris was a reliable guy.

"I-I…" he stuttered, as he kept his back plastered to the door. His eyes dashed from left to right, panicking as his brain registered just how many Chuckie dolls he was locked with. "Did I ever tell you guys about the time my older brother locked me in a room with one of those dolls?" he asked them nervously, his voice starting to crack. "Let's just say I never really recovered, and being stuck in a room full of Chuckie dolls isn't really going to help me, you know."

"_Oh, Hell no!" _David thought as he watched a panic-stricken Chris close his eyes and start chanting **"This isn't real, I'm in my room and I'm all alone"**.

"This is just FUCKEN GREAT!!" David yelled as he began to pace the room. The one guy he knew he could rely on was having mental breakdown right in front of him.

"Dan," he snapped.

"Y-Yes," he quickly answered.

"You're coming with me. Were going to open those damn caskets, and you," he whirled around facing Brad, "you're going to stay with Chris and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Got it."

Both nodded in unison.

Ten minutes later Dan barked in frustration. "Fucken Hell. We've checked every coffin and all they have is a stupid Chuckie doll inside."

"I thought for sure the key would be in one of them," David contemplated, referring to the caskets.

"What about the dolls," Brad said pointing to the Chuckie dolls littering the ground as he joined the other two; leaving Chris were he was. He had tried to help Chris but every time he tried talking to the guy, his chanting would only get louder. Eventually, he just gave up on him deciding to help David and Dan in their search. Besides, it wasn't as if Chris even knew he was there. The guy was sitting on the floor, hunched over with his arms hugging his knees. He was rocking on the floor, ignoring everything around him.

David said nothing when Brad left his charge and joined them. "Okay, we'll search all the dolls," he said. So, they split up and began searching all the Chuckie dolls.

Busy searching for the hidden key, no one noticed as a layer of dust fell from the ceiling.

Up in the attic, Sasuke hit Naruto on the head for almost giving up their position. They were in the attic, which happened to be right on top of the room where the group of teenagers where currently being spied on. Shikamaru and Temari had wired the room with spy cameras, and thus, Sasuke and Naruto where currently following their progress.

"Idiot. Stop laughing or they'll hear you," he sternly told his partner.

"But Sasuke I can't help it," Naruto said between giggles. "Look at that guy," he said pointing to Chris's rocking form, "we haven't even done anything and he's already breaking down."

As Sasuke watched Naruto break out in peals of laughter, he could not help but smile. It was pretty pathetic he thought looking at the guy through the monitor Shikamaru had set up for them.

After Naruto recovered from his fit, he turned to Sasuke with a face that said he had just come up with the greatest idea.

"Sasuke we have to mess with him!!" Naruto told him, barely controlling his mirth. "We can activate that doll there," he said, pointing to a Chuckie doll that was close to the panicked teen.

Sasuke, unable to deny him his fun, simply sighed in defeat and pressed the appropriate buttons on the remote Shikamaru and Temari had made for them. A few seconds later, the shrieks of a terrified teen could be heard reverberating throughout the room. In response, Sasuke pressed more buttons and revived the rest of the dolls. And so, their fun began.

Below the attic and in the room the group of teens were currently locked in, a rocking teen was trying to calm himself down as images of the evil doll bombarded his thoughts. Thanks to his brother's prank, every time he saw one of those demonic dolls he would freak out. But it had never been this bad. Ever since that incident, he had never been in the same room with a Chuckie doll, but here he was locked in a room with dozens of those little devils. The only thing he could do was try to ignore the situation, and so he continued his chant.

"**This isn't real, I'm in my room and I'm all alone,"** he repeated to himself.

"Pathetic child, I can assure you this is very real," a raspy voice interrupted his words.

Chris abruptly stopped his rocking motion, as cold dread filled his blood. _"It can't be,"_ he thought, recognizing the voice of the demonic doll from Hollywood. Ever so slowly, he raised his head, and to his horror, there in front of him stood a Chuckie doll looking at him with vacant eyes.

Although his mouth did not move like it did in the Hollywood movies, Chris clearly heard that same voice as it spoke again.

"Still think you're all alone," Chuckie said in a psychotic tone.

All Chris could do was shriek in terror as his nightmares became reality. Nothing his brother had done to him that day had come close to this, and now, he was sure he would be scarred for life.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Dan yelled as he whirled around to face his terrified companion as he hysterically backed away from a Chuckie doll in front of him.

"Shit. Who left that Chuckie doll near him," David yelled at his two companions.

"It wasn't there when I left him," Dan said in defense.

"Well its not like it could have gotten their on its own, now could—" David was unable to finish his words as he watched in horror at the scene before him. The Chuckie dolls inside the coffins were all sitting up and had begun to laugh psychotically.

All around them, the rest of the dolls began to move and speak, as if they had been awakened from a deep slumber.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" Chris shouted in panic as he pounded on the door with as much force as he could. The small control he had displayed earlier had utterly shattered into a million pieces.

"Chris, get a hold of yourself," David yelled at his friends as panic slowly took a hold of him.

This was so not happening he screamed in his mind, as the Chuckie incarnations began to move toward them, and with their raspy voices, they all began to tell them how they were going to die. Detail after gruesome detail.

"Hey, that one has the key," Brad said franticly pointing to a Chuckie incarnation in the back.

"Everyone, get the key from that doll," David shouted out his orders.

As everyone, except for one panicking teen, ran for the indicated doll, the light suddenly flickered out.

"This is not happening," Dan whispered as darkness engulfed them.

"Get that doll," David yelled, successfully knocking them out of their momentary stupor.

Up in the attic, both Sasuke and Naruto broke out in peals of laughter as they watched their frantic attempts to find the doll. Before Sasuke had switched the lights off, using another remote, he had switched the spy cameras to night vision mode.

"This is hilarious," Naruto gasped out between snorts of laughter. Sasuke had to agree. This was freaking priceless. The group of teens were breaking down one by one as they were bathed in darkness with a bunch of demonic incarnations for company. He had to congratulate Naruto for coming up with the idea.

"Damn, that guy got the key," Naruto said with a little disappointment, pointing to David.

"Oh, well. We'll just wait for the next group," Sasuke told him.

Meanwhile, below them, David had retrieved the key from the demonic doll, which was not an easy task. He then, ran to the appropriate door and shoved the key in, determined to get out of the doll infested room.

Back at the other door, Chris was still pounding on the door, and screaming out obscenities as the door stayed locked. Thus, it took him a few seconds to register that the far door had been opened. The only thought that went through his mind as he saw the light streaming in from the opened door was **freedom**.

So, with a speed born of adrenaline, he ran toward the light and blindly slammed the door without checking if everyone had gotten out. His friends were lucky they had already gotten out of the room because Chris was not opening that door for anything or anyone.

Outside of the room, all four teens slid to the floor in terrified fright.

"That sick fuck," Dan kept on repeating out loud, referring to Itachi. "He knew what waiting for us in those rooms, and yet he said nothing," he hysterically continued. The fact that they were on a Haunted House tour, in which they were supposed to be frightened, did not enter his panic-stricken mind as he placed all the blame on Itachi's shoulders.

This time, Itachi waited until they had at least, somewhat, controlled their breathing, before making his presence known.

"This is the end of the tour, and as promised, Hinata and I will escort you to the top of the grand staircase," he told them. Behind him stood Hinata and Lucan, who were looking at them in silent concern.

"_Do we look that bad?"_ David asked himself as he caught their look of concern. Looking down at himself and his friends, he could not deny that, yes, they did _look that bad._

"_Well, at least we have a reason, after what that bastard put us through,"_ he thought, agreeing with Dan's words. Itachi had known what would happen to them every time he locked them in a room; and he had no doubt that he had somehow forced Hinata not to interfere. He could not see Hinata as a willing participant in this sick fright fest. She wasn't the type of person that would do something like this. Thus, all blame fell on Itachi; the sadistic bastard.

As David continued his mental accusation, Itachi began to walk away, expecting them to follow.

Once they reached the grand staircase Itachi and Hinata said their good-bye's and left them to find their way out.

"Sadistic Bastard," David said aloud as soon as their hosts left them.

All around him, his friends shook their heads in agreement. They had all placed the blame squarely on Itachi's shoulders, figuring the shy Hinata would not be capable of doing such a thing to them.

And so, not knowing what else to do, the group began to descend the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, they made their way to the kitchen as they had been instructed earlier. However, before they reached the kitchen, they watched as a guy with long dark chocolate hair tied in a low pony-tail, nervously stepped inside the room.

"Who's that?" Brad asked them.

"I don't know," Dan replied, suspicion taking over his mind. "But I wonder if he's part of the tour, you know as in technical support."

"Let's find out," David said, hurrying his pace to catch up with the stranger.

On his heels, the other teens followed him, curiosity taking over.

"Where is he?" David asked; looking for the long-haired teen they had followed.

"Look, the basement door is slightly open," Brad pointed out.

David smiled as he put all the pieces together. "I bet this is their tech. room. That's why Itachi told us not to go inside," David reasoned out loud. "Vampires. Please, did he really think we'd fall for such a lame excuse?"

So, wanting to give the tech. crew a scare of their own after what they had put them through, the group of teens descended the steps.

Behind them, Lucan stood where he was. Hinata had specifically told him not go into basement. According to her, the basement was a little extra scare for anyone who still had the courage to enter such a place after what they had been through. So, staying quiet, Lucan skittered back to the grand stair case and sat down on the bottom of the steps as he waited for his brother and his friends to make their exit out of the basement.

Back in the real tech. room, Shikamaru informed Gaara to expect visitors through the ear piece the red-head was wearing. So, getting into their places, Gaara and Neji began their performance as soon as they heard the basement door open.

When David opened the basement door, he heard someone growl in anger.

"Did you hear that?" David asked his friends, but as soon as he spoke the voice began to speak again.

"What a fine meal I've caught myself," the soft voice said.

The teens were unable to see the speaker, so they descended into the basement until they were at the bottom of the steps. That's when they became the audience to a horrific murder.

The male who had spoken had his back to them; the only visible part of his person was the blood-red hair that fell in messy spikes. The red-head had his hand circled around the other male in what looked to be a painful grasp, and at the base of the steps, the teen audience had a clear view of the pained face of the long-haired teen as the red-haired male effortlessly lifted him up from the ground with only one hand.

"I thought those sissy's out there told you all not to come down here, yet here you are?" the shorter male softly asked the guy in his grasp, watching in delight as he struggles to gulped down air.

For a horrific moment, the four teens thought he was talking to them, but as the other teen answered they breathed easier.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I was looking for someone," the other the long-haired teen nervously answered.

"And did you find what you were looking for?" the red-head asked the now trembling teen in his grasp.

"N-no. They must be somewhere else."

"Well, that's too bad because I've found exactly what **I** was looking for," the other male said in the same voice that slowly wormed its way into the long-haired males skin until he shuddered with pent-up lust.

"_This is not part of the plan,"_ Neji thought, as his body unconsciously reacted to Gaara's husky voice.

As Neji tried to control his body's reaction, Gaara continued with their performance and slowly leaned forward. Neji ignored the scenarios his mind conjured up, and continued with the act. As Gaara leaned closer to his neck, Neji pretended to finally notice the now terrified audience at the foot of the stairs. So, with lavender eyes, he pleaded for help.

Seeing the pleading look the long-haired male sent their way, the four teens felt helpless, as their bodies refused to move. They were unable to help or escape as the scene in front of them unfolded in a bloody conclusion.

In the middle of the room, Gaara forcefully pulled his hostage toward him, and in doing so, gave the four teens a clear view of what he was about to do.

Opening his mouth, the red-head displayed a set of elongated canines that could be none other than a pair of fangs. Skimming his tongue around his elongated canines, the mysterious male looked at his terrified victim with hunger, before enveloping the brunette's neck with his mouth. With his left arm he covered his victim's mouth, and moments later, teal eyes closed in ecstasy, as he moved his mouth in sucking motion. Instantly, the male in his arms screamed in pain as his pale-lavender eyes widen in shock. As instincts took over, the long-haired teen began to thrash in the other's strong grip. Luckily, the teal-eyed male lost his grip, and the brunette fell to the floor, blood spilling from his neck.

As his butt hit the floor, the brunette scrambled up, and faced the predator in front of him. The red-head only smiled, showing blood smeared canines. Looking at his prey, the shorter male licked his lips trying to get all the blood. Then without warning, he pounced on his victim. The other male had no chance, and fell with the other on top of him, straddling his hips. Like before, the red-haired male quickly continued his earlier ministrations as the male underneath stopped his useless struggles. A minute later, the red-haired male raised his head, finished with his meal. Licking his blood smeared lips; he turned teal eyes toward his audience and smiled at them using the same evil smile he had used on his victim beneath him. Not even waiting for another signal, the group of teens ran for dear life up the steps, screaming of vampires and murder.

Still sitting on the bottom of the grand staircase, Lucan watched as his brother and his friends ran out of the basement, crashed through the doors, and spilled into the waiting crowd still in line for the tour. Through their terrified shrieks, he could only make out a few words.

"VAMPIRE!…MURDER!…BLOOD!…DEAD!"

After the display the four teens had put out for the crowd in line, thrilled teens broke out in gossip. Lucan simply dismissed their excited chatter and walked home with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Back in the basement, a hysterical Neji was trying to stop his fit of giggles, while Gaara wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. Noticing he was still straddling Neji, Gaara got up and gave the Hyuuga a hand. Neji accepted it, and the red-head pulled him up.

Gaara then grabbed a clean rag and proceeded to clean up the "blood" that had spilled on the ground. Neji couldn't help but admire the site, but only stared for a moment before he too grabbed a clean rag to help his partner. Scooting closer to Gaara, Neji threw his rag onto the sweet substance, but before he began to clean, he noticed as Gaara tongue still licked the side of his lip were he had yet to clean the fake blood. Following his instincts, Neji reached forward with his right hand and slowly swiped at the substance on the red-head's lips. Looking on with wide-eyes Gaara could do nothing but watch as Neji returned the same finger to his mouth as he delicately sucked on it.

"I can see why you were sucking on my neck with such eagerness," Neji told him seductively, remembering the episode quite clearly. He doubted he would get that image out of his head any time soon.

"This stuff's addictive," the Hyuuga continued, and without saying another word, Neji began scrubbing the red mess with his rag. A minute later, he began to talk to the red-head like he normally would, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. And in Gaara's innocent and uncorrupted mind, nothing had happened. So, dismissing the whole episode as a case of Neji just wanting taste the watermelon flavored blood that Temari had concocted for their skit, Gaara continued cleaning.

Beside him, Neji smiled at Gaara's reaction. After what had almost transpired at the red-head's house, he was impatient to finish what he had almost begun.

He planned to start wooing the red-head as soon as they finished with the Haunted House project.

Neji was still busy thinking of the many ways he could get Gaara alone when he heard Temari's voice in Gaara's earpiece. He had to scowl as she interrupted his decadent thoughts.

"Sakura and Lee have just dropped another group off at the staircase," Temari reported through Gaara's earpiece.

"It seems we may have more potential victims," Gaara told Neji as an evil smirk graced his lips.

"I'll go up then," Neji said and got up from his task to ascend the basement stairs. Like his partner, he too broke out in a smile, but unlike Gaara, his mirth came from the immoral thoughts his partner had no idea were running around in his mind.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x _

What do you think? I know it's a bit much to digest, but I hope everyone likes it. The next chapter will be mostly about Gaara and Neji's blooming relationship, and some progress will also be made with the other couples. So until then, aloha.

Sorry about the late update.

If anyone wants to see the two glass sculptures that Gaara gave Neji, then you can retrieve the link in my profile, since I can't post them here.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you think so far. ;)


	7. Ch 7: Winter Celebration

A/N:

So, here's the next chapter. It's not as long as the last one, but I think it's pretty good.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far. I enjoyed reading your comments. Hope you enjoy reading this next installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an

AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

_**Winter Celebration**_

A tall lavender-eyed male walked through the silent corridors of the Hyuuga mansion. His pace was steady and determined as he descended the stairs, making his way to the dining room.

"Neji, how nice to see you," greeted Hiashi with a warm smile as his nephew joined the family for dinner. Hiashi looked on with happiness as he watched his brother's son take his rightful place at the family dinner table.

His family was complete.

It had been a month now since the long-haired male began to attend dinner. The first time he had presented himself, his uncle, along with the rest of the family had stared at him with poorly disguised shock.

He had promptly ignored their side-long glances and ate his dinner in silence, occasionally answering the few questions directed at him.

Ever since the Haunted House project, which had been a huge success, Sasuke had begun to spend more time at home until the Hyuuga had gathered a whole stock pile of rain-checks from the younger Uchiha. Routine was the only reason he kept going back to _Gideon's_; however, after countless nights of lonely dinners Neji decided to skip dinner at the restaurant and have dinner at home.

The lonely nights at _Gideon's _gave Neji a lot of time to reminisce, and after examining the events of his childhood years, he realized that he had been holding a child's grudge for long enough. He was almost an adult and he wanted to straighten things with his family before it was too late. Besides, his uncle was his father's beloved brother. As a child Neji recognized the great resentment his father had toward the Hyuuga's; however, although his father resented the Hyuuga name, he never hated his brother. On the contrary, even as a child, Neji was aware of his father's deep love for his older twin. Consequently, Neji analyzed his actions since his father's death, and came to a hard conclusion. If his father could see him now, he would be greatly disappointment with his behavior towards his family, especially toward his uncle. Thus, he took the necessary steps to begin anew.

"How were your exams?" Hiashi asked his nephew while picking up a biscuit and placing it on his plate.

"They went well Uncle," Neji answered politely as a servant filled his glass with raspberry cider. A few minutes later his uncle's questions began once more.

"Are you planning on bringing anyone to the Christmas celebration?" Hiashi absently asked his nephew, as if it had just popped into his head which was far from the truth. Of course he was referring to the annual Christmas celebration the Hyuuga Family held every year, the same gathering Neji never brought a date too.

However, Hiashi thought this year might be different. Recently, he had noticed his nephew's out of character behavior. Neji would fall into daydreams, mutter to himself, and sigh for no apparent reason. The boy had the air of someone who was either falling in love or was already in its clutches with all the emotional baggage it brought along with it. Personally, Hiashi was happy for him, and he had no doubt that these new found feelings his nephew was experiencing had played a major role in Neji's new attitude toward his family. In the last month Neji had slowly opened up to the family. He attended dinner with the family, talked with his younger cousin's and had even been more than civil with him.

Neji was slowly becoming the nephew Hiashi always wished for, and Hiashi believed it was the influence if his new found love. Thus, Hiashi hoped Neji would bring the lucky girl to the Hyuuga's annual Christmas gathering in order to introduce her to the family. He was sure he would like her.

"I haven't yet decided," Neji answered his uncle neither committing himself nor dismissing the possibility.

Dinner progressed in a similar manner, Hiashi making small talk with the younger generation and occasionally asking Neji a few questions regarding his classes, soccer, and other various things.

Neji answered his uncle's questions politely, and made small talk with Hinata and even exchanged a few words with Hanabi.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"So, what are you going to do now with all your free time," Kankuro asked his younger brother while he poked at his dinner.

"Kankuro, stop playing with your dinner and eat it," Temari pointedly told him, watching his actions with annoyance. She had not slaved away making dinner to have her brother play with it…well maybe not slaved away.

Maybe she had stopped by the Italian restaurant on her way home, but damn it, she still had to make the bread sticks. Her brother should appreciate that she even took care of dinner. Just because she was the only female did not entitle her to such a position, but since Kankuro got home late, and Gaara couldn't cook if his life depended on it, she was stuck with the job.

It took Gaara a minute before he answered his brother; he didn't really have any plans for winter vacation. A week into vacation and he had yet to do anything but mope around the house, watch a couple of movies, and work on his glass blowing.

"I'll probably spend some time with Naruto," he said, knowing the blonde would seek him out at least once.

"Che, that's all?" Kankuro asked him as if he was expecting him to have a great deal of plans for the midwinter holiday.

Gaara just glared at him, while Temari rolled her eyes at their usual behavior. By the time the Sabaku siblings had finished their dinner Temari had decided to rent a movie. So, while her two brothers washed the dishes, she left to pick up a couple of movies.

"So…" Kankuro said trying to start up a conversation with Gaara after ten long minutes of silence had passed between them.

Gaara looked at his brother in question.

"Uh, so I noticed you and Neji have been spending a lot more time together," Kankuro said, happy to find a topic he could talk with his brother.

"What of it," Gaara told him in a neutral tone.

"I was just wondering if you two are friends or something. I mean, you've gone out with him a lot, even went to his house to study for your AP Chemistry Final," Kankuro explained. "He seems like a cool guy, and you two seemed to have a lot of fun while you were working on your skit when we did the Haunted House thing."

Gaara went back to drying the dishes and digested what his brother had just told him. Over the past month he and Neji had spent a lot of time together, and he was surprised that he enjoyed spending time with the Hyuuga; a rare thing indeed.

"Yeah, I guess he is a friend," Gaara told him.

Kankuro nodded at his words, carrying on the rest of the conversation. He talked about his friends at college, the cute girl in his calculus class, and various other things that had happened to him. Gaara listened to his stories adding a comment or two throughout the conversation.

DING DONG.

"That's probably Temari," Kankuro said, turning to face the living room. "Can you get it while I finish up here," he told his brother as he finished rinsing a glass. The red-head nodded and put down the drying rag and walked to the door expecting to see Temari on the other side of the door. However, instead of his sister, he found a long-haired Hyuuga standing on his front porch.

"Hi," greeted Neji.

"…Hey" Gaara said, half wondering why Neji was at his house at 8 o'clock at night a week after their midwinter holiday had started.

"I just came to invite you to a Christmas celebration my family holds every year," Neji told him while handing him an invitation. "The invitation is for the Sabaku family and any guest you might want to bring," he finished, smiling at Gaara.

"Oh…thanks," Gaara managed to say accepting the invitation, and opening it in order to read it.

"What's the dress code?" Gaara asked him, saying the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Nothing too fancy. Something nice should be fine," Neji told him, uncaring what the shorter male wore as long as he attended.

"Well, I'll see you then," Neji told him, as a sly grin slowly spread over his features.

Seconds later Neji ran his fingers through short red locks, then gently pulled a surprised Gaara forward, giving him a long gentle kiss on the lips. After a minute he pulled away, noting Gaara's flaming red cheeks that almost rivaled his hair.

Gaara was shocked by Neji's actions, but did not pull away from the other teen. His mind had turned into putty, and even if he knew what to do, he was too far gone to do anything but stand there. However, as soon as it started, the kiss ended as Neji pulled away with a sly grin plastered on his face, while his finger pointed somewhere above their heads.

Gaara was still a little disoriented, but followed the direction Neji indicated. Hanging on top of the door was the mistletoe Temari had been so adamant to hang above their doorway.

Neji watched the red-head with the same expression, unable to remove the grin on his face. "I couldn't really ignore tradition," the long-haired teen told him in explanation before he turned around and headed for his car.

A minute later, Gaara watched as Neji pulled away from his driveway. He was still in standing where the other had left him.

"What are you doing?" Kankuro asked his brother as he stood behind him. Gaara had taken a long time so he had come to see what was keeping him.

Gaara turned to his brother, still a little dazed.

"Who was at the door?" Kankuro asked him, looking at him in question.

"Uh, Neji," he answered absentmindedly as he tried to organize his thought. He then handed the invitation to his brother.

Kankuro took the invitation and read it. After he was done, he looked at his brother one more time before telling him to get inside and out of the cold December night.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"Temari, come on were going to be late," Kankuro hollered, as he tugged on his black pants again, before readjusting his long-sleeved silk blouse.

It was the night of the Hyuuga Christmas celebration and Kankuro was pacing the living room waiting for his sister to finish whatever she was doing so they could leave already.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm already here," Temari told her brother as she descended the stairs. Kankuro watched her, and sighed in defeat. He would have to keep his eye on her tonight, he thought. Already picturing the amount of suitors she would attract. She looked beautiful.

She was wearing black fish-net stockings, a short blue-purple skirt with a long sleeve blouse of the same color that reached her elbows. On top of the comfy blouse she wore a white corset with a red silk ribbon tied to her midsection in a lovely bow. Although her outfit would have seemed a bit off on anyone else, it only made her look striking with her usual four messy pony tails lending her an air of confidence. Uncaring of what anyone thought of her.

"Sheesh, took you long enough," Kankuro told her in his usual brotherly attitude.

Temari ignored his comment and grabbed her keys as she headed for the front door.

"So where's Gaara?" she asked him.

"He went to go pick up Naruto about ten minutes ago. He said he'd meet us at the party," Kankuro answered her as they locked the front door and headed for Temari's mustang.

Naruto had called Gaara the night before, sheepishly asking for a ride. Apparently his car's windshield had cracked due to the low temperatures and he couldn't get it fixed until the following week.

"Perfect. He has a ten minute head start. Now we won't have to wait for him," Temari told her brother with an evil smile that did not bode well for the male Sabaku.

Once they slid inside, Kankuro made sure his seatbelt was well secured, already knowing what his crazy sister had in mind. Locked in tight, he gave his sister the okay. Seconds later they blasted through the streets of Konoha determined to cut the trip in half.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"Master Neji, I have escorted the Sabaku's family along with an Uzumaki Naruto to the parlor as you requested," a waiter discreetly informed Neji, who was currently making small talk with an up and coming lawyer who had just been hired by his uncle.

"Thank you," Neji said, glad he had an excuse to get away. He had been making small talk with many of his uncle's associates since the party began. Now he just wanted to get away from them all.

"If you'll excuse me," he bowed to the young woman he had been speaking with the last half hour. Throughout their conversation she had used her womanly charms to try and get his attention; however, he was used to this, and recognized all her little tricks. She only wanted him because he was the Hyuuga prodigy.

Neji was not interested. She was just like the rest of them, wanting him for their own purposes, and never for himself—never past one night of passion. Besides, her sleek red dress couldn't hold a candle to Gaara's silky blood-red hair. The color only served to remind him of a certain teal-eyed male whose lips were as soft as snow, as he recently discovered.

The young woman simply gave him a coquettish smile, before he turned away from her and headed toward the parlor, eager to see Gaara again.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

After the waiter delivered Neji the news, he searched for Hyuuga Hiashi to inform him that the guest his nephew had been waiting for had arrived.

Hearing the news, Hiashi excused himself, and headed for the parlor eager to meet Neji's date.

The same night Hiashi had asked his nephew if he was planning on bring anyone to the party, Neji had gone out; taking an invitation with him. He presumed his nephew had hand delivered the invitation to his love interest since all invitations were always delivered by mail.

The waiter had given him two names, and Sabaku had not been in the mailing list. Thus, the girl Neji was interested in had to be from that family.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

As Neji entered the parlor, his eyes immediately sought blood-red hair. He immediately found what he was looking for, and couldn't help but admire the shorter male.

"_Gaara looks good in burgundy,"_ he mentally noted. Gaara wore snug black pants and a long-sleeve burgundy chemise. As he walked up to the group, who had yet to notice his arrival, he observed Gaara's indifferent attitude as Naruto animatedly talked to him. He also noticed his siblings a few feet from him engaged in their own conversation.

"I'm glad you made it," he told them, his pale-lavender eyes directed at Gaara.

"Nice party you have here Hyuuga," Kankuro told him, unaware of Neji's attention on his younger brother.

"Thanks," Neji answered shifting his attention to the entire group. "You don't have to stay in the parlor, you know. The only reason you were escorted here was because I wanted to welcome you," he told them.

"Great. I'll see you guys later then," Temari told them as she spotted a certain lazy genius at the far end of the ball room sitting by himself. However before she was able to make her exit, Hyuuga Hiashi walked up the group and greeted them.

"You must be Neji's friends."

"That's us," Temari chirped wanting to get the introductions over with.

"And who might you be?" Hiashi asked her.

"Sabaku Temari," she answered with a smile.

"You look lovely my dear," he complimented her, noting her unique outfit. "I hope you'll save a dance for my nephew," he told her with a wink. He was sure he had found Neji's crush.

"Uhh…thanks," Temari said a little embarrassed, while said nephew only looked on in shocked silence.

"Well, I'm glad Neji invited you. I hope you have fun tonight," Hiashi said before bowing and taking his leave.

"Talk about weird," Naruto said aloud, speaking the thoughts in everyone's mind.

Temari ignored the strange episode, and waved good-bye to the group. "Well, see ya," she said as she walked into the ballroom, already heading for Shikamaru's lonely table.

"I'll be leaving you guys too," Kankuro told them before heading off to the party as well.

Just as Kankuro made his exit, Naruto spotted Sasuke passing by the parlor. His eyes glinted with evil intent, and quickly made an excuse; walking after a certain raven-haired teen.

Aside from his uncle's little stunt, Neji couldn't help be gloat at his good luck, though he didn't outwardly show it.

"Seems like it's just you and me," Neji told Gaara, who was leaning on the wall looking at him with suspicion as if he had orchestrated this turn of events. At his words, Gaara pushed himself from the wall using his shoulders, and walked up to Neji with determination; his teal-eyes flashing.

"I might not know what your game is Hyuuga, but you're not fooling me. I know you're up to something," Gaara told him with distrust. For the last few months, Neji had been acting strange around him, and Gaara knew the Hyuuga was up to something, but could not figure out what his aim was. However, after spending a lot of time with him while they were working on the Haunted House, Gaara had thought Neji's weird behavior would eventually dissipate.

He was dead wrong.

Neji's behavior toward him only got stranger and stranger, and the kiss at his house was the last straw. Neji was up to something. Gaara just needed to find out what.

Neji didn't know whether to be weary that Gaara knew something was up, or shocked that Gaara didn't know what Neji intended. Gaara wasn't Sasuke or Naruto, he was direct and if he knew Neji was hitting on him, **_which he sure as Hell was_**, then he would confront him. Anyone worth his salt would be able to recognize his actions, yet he wondered if Gaara did? Could the red-head really not decipher his intentions?

Gaara walked away from him and Neji had to quicken his pace to catch up to the shorter teen.

As the party progressed, Hiashi looked on with confusion. He did not understand his nephew's actions. Why wasn't he with Temari?

He watched as Temari talked and laughed with the Nara boy. She had been with Shikamaru the entire time, while his nephew spent his time with her younger brother. Neji didn't even seem to notice anyone else but the red-head. Was his nephew trying to find out some information from her younger brother? Hiashi didn't understand his strategy at all. While he spent his time gathering information, the Nara boy was making a move on his love interest, didn't Neji know that?

He just shook his head at his nephew's behavior.

At the far end of the ballroom, Temari was engaged in another argument with Shikamaru. She had to admit that she was having fun talking with him. Although, he might grumble and take his sweet time, he was always the perfect uninterested gentlemen. It was probably this disinterest that intrigued her the most. Guys had always been easily charmed by her. She never had to work for a male's attention; yet Shikamaru never once displayed any interest in her, which only made her more determined to gain his attention. It was a challenge, and she never backed down from a challenge.

"I see you actually wore something that compliments you. Did your mom pick it out for you?" she asked jokingly.

"Che. Like I would be wearing this stupid shirt if she hadn't," Shikamaru told her with a scowl, clearly not getting her joke.

Temari was stunned for a moment before she broke out in peals of laughter. Shikamaru just stared at her with an eyebrow raised up in question, not understanding her mirth.

"So…what do you think of my outfit?" she casually asked him, after her laughter had subsided. She knew that he would never say anything about it otherwise.

"What about it?"

Temari's eye twitched with restrained violence. She couldn't believe he was such a dimwit.

Shikamaru watched as she fumed at his comment and shook his head. _"Women are so troublesome,"_ he thought, before trying to correct his mistake. He did not want to deal with a mad Temari. She could be very scary at times.

"Never mind," Temari said turning away from him and fixing her attention on the dancing people. She wanted to join them, but knowing Shikamaru, it was probably the last thing on his mind.

"Would you like to dance?" Shikamaru asked her holding his hand out to her. Temari looked at his hand in surprise. She hadn't even noticed when he had gotten up, but there he stood in front of her, asking her to dance.

"I'd love too," she said with a smile on her lips.

He held her hand as he lead her to the middle of the ballroom, then gently pulled her into his arms as they began to move to the music.

"Sometimes I don't understand your questions," Shikamaru said as he looked past her shoulders and avoiding eye contact. Temari shifted in his arms to better look at him, intrigued by his words.

"I know you've noticed the looks you've been getting over the past hour. So, why are you asking me how you look? I would think it's pretty obvious. You look great…you always do," he finished still not looking at her.

The couple danced another song to the disappointment of many bachelors, but Temari was too busy enjoying the warmth that exuded from her dance partner to notice or even care. They danced in silence, no words were needed.

Hiashi sighed as he watched the couple on the dance floor. It was too late for Neji to make a move. It was obvious the two were falling for each other. Hiashi looked for his nephew unsure whether he knew he had lost his opportunity, but he didn't see him anywhere.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"Just come on, where almost there," Neji told a red-haired male who was walking beside him, distrust clearly visible in his demeanor.

When Neji had told him he had gotten him a Christmas present, Gaara had been surprised, but suspicion quickly took over when he informed him where exactly he had left the gift; and so, Gaara found himself following Neji through the hallways of the Hyuuga mansion, getting farther and farther away from the party.

It didn't take them long before Neji stopped in front of a door. He looked back at his companion before opening. As soon as they entered Neji closed the door behind him.

Gaara looked at the large room with disinterest, not even the small balcony captured his attention. He had come from money, and had grown up in a mansion. Thus, the elegant room did not faze him.

Neji was not surprised by Gaara's indifferent reaction. He remembered Gaara had once told him that his father had been a very successful politician back in Suna.

The red-head had been very open that day he remembered. Gaara had talked about his interest and dislikes, his brother, his sister, and many other things. Neji had listened to him, intrigued by him even more. Neji had even re-paid the favor by telling Gaara about his own interests, dislikes, family life, etc.

"There it is," Neji said as he walked to his dresser to pick up the delicately wrapped gift he had taken him forever to pick out.

Gaara didn't know what to say, so he chose silence.

Neji handed him the gift, but before Gaara could open it, he walked to his balcony and opened the double doors, steeping into the crisp December night. He leaned on the balcony and observed the full moon as he waited for Gaara to open his gift. Moments later, he was accompanied by the shorter male.

The two stayed out there in silence both looking up at the glittering stars. After ten minutes, Neji broke the silence.

"You didn't open it," he stated, never removing his eyes from the winter sky.

"It's not Christmas yet," Gaara said softly, following Neji's actions and keeping his eyes on the stars above.

Another five minutes passed before Neji broke the silence once more. "I would like it if you opened it right now."

Gaara turned his head toward him, and noted he had yet to remove his gaze from the full moon. Shrugging, Gaara began to unwrap the small box. Before he opened the gift, Neji shifted his attention back to him, wanting to see his reaction.

Gaara looked at the small necklace in confusion.

"It's a sun dial," Neji told him, a warm smile creeping up as he noticed the recognition in Gaara's eyes.

"You seemed like the type to appreciate something like this," Neji told him. "If you hold it up to the sun, a bead of light shines through the small hole, and onto the time band," he explained.

Gaara looked at the ring-like pendant attached to the small black satin chain and noted the roman numerals etched into the pendant.

"Thank you," he said, a little touched by the present.

"Do you like it?" Neji asked him trying to hide his nervousness.

"It's great," Gaara answered.

Neji felt a flood of warmth spread through his system at the red-head's words. He had chosen well. "Do you want me to put it on you?" he asked the other.

Gaara looked at him as if he was trying to read something from his offer, but eventually nodded.

Neji took the necklace from the box, making sure he grabbed both ends. He then waited for the red-head to turn around before slipping the necklace over the other's neck, brushing his knuckles over the tender flesh, and clasping the ends together.

"I guess we should get back to the party," Neji told him, straightening up and walking towards his room.

"Wait," Gaara called out.

Neji stopped at the balcony doors and raised his eyebrow in question as he waited for the red-head to explain himself.

"I didn't get you anything," Gaara told him, obviously disturbed with the fact the he had not gotten him a present.

"You already did," he told Gaara noting as his eyes lit up with protest. "The two glass sculptures you gave me were more than enough," he finished, a small smile playing on his face.

"But—"

"Gaara just leave it be," Neji interrupted.

Gaara just sighed and joined him at the balcony doors, ready to get back to the party. However, Neji's smile quickly turned into an all familiar sly grin the red-head clearly remembered. As soon as his eyes shifted to the little plant above them, Neji yanked him to his chest and pressed his lips to the other's softer ones. The kiss lasted longer than the last one, but eventually Neji pulled away, still holding Gaara to his chest.

Like before, Gaara's face turned crimson, but Neji was far from satisfied.

Gaara was still trying to put his thoughts back in order, when he felt a pair of fingers on his chin gently tilting his head back. His eyes widen in shock as he realized Neji's intentions.

"_He can't kiss me twice!"_ Gaara instantly thought. _"He's only supposed to kiss me once." _

In his innocent mind, a kiss shared due to the mistletoe currently hanging above their heads could be justified. Yet, a second kiss could not be so easily rationalized._ "What is Neji up to?" _Gaara asked himself, still unable to figure out Neji's strange behavior. However, any rational thoughts soon dissipated as Neji's assaulted his lips once more.

He bent his head and captured Gaara's mouth, nipping at his lower lip. Wanting more, he flicked his tongue over the other's lips emitting an instant gasp from the red-head in his arms. Neji quickly took advantage of the parted lips, and slipped his tongue inside the wet cavern.

He delved into unexplored territory with delicate precision, exploring every nook and crevice. He then let his hands wander, traveling down the other's back until he cupped a firm butt.

As Neji let his hands roam over Gaara's body, Gaara moaned into the kiss and let his instincts take over as he began his own exploration. In his inexperience, he was unsure of what to do, so he hesitantly flicked his tongue in Neji's warm cavern trying to imitate the other's movements.

Neji groaned as he felt him participate, and as he felt unsure licks invade his mouth the last of his control shattered.

Using his right hand, he grabbed red locks and yanked the other closer, deepening the kiss. The kiss was hard and demanding. When Neji finally broke it, both were left panting. Leaning his forehead against Gaara's, he stayed there for a few minutes letting their breaths mingle.

As their breathing returned to normal, Gaara lifted his head and looked into pale-lavender eyes.

"What do you want from me?" Gaara almost pleaded, unsure of what to make of their last kiss.

Neji said nothing as he stared back at him. The shorter male remained in his arms, and waited for an answer. He was more confused than he had ever been in his life.

"You still don't know do you?" Neji whispered softly in his ear, lips brushing his skin.

Gaara involuntary shivered at the intimate contact, and managed to say a hoarse, "No."

Feeling Gaara shiver in his arms only added to his pleasure. Putting Gaara's question aside for the moment, Neji let his mouth wander down the other's face and to his collarbone where he began to nip and lick at the sensitive flesh.

"I want you," he whispered into the others neck, feeling the satin cord of the necklace he had just placed around his neck. "I've wanted you for a long time."

Hearing words which did nothing to enlighten him, Gaara struggled in Neji's arms trying to get away from the Hyuuga's ministrations. He let him go and watched in silence as Gaara staggered inside, stumbling on his bed.

Gaara did not know how to react. What should he do? Why was his body reacting this way? Why did Neji want him? He simply did not know how to handle all this, and the Hyuuga's distracting kisses were not helping him think clearly.

"Gaara…." Neji began walking into his room but staying away from the red-head. "I want to be with you…if you'll have me," he said to him, nervous of the response he would receive.

Neji stared at Gaara's fidgeting body, willing him to say something, anything.

At the far end of the room, Gaara sat on Neji's bed after stumbling into it after his escape from the other. He heard Neji's offer but had no idea how to respond. He had never thought about another that way, especially a guy. But as his thoughts lingered on Neji's offer, he recalled his own participation. He had liked the kiss.

He recalled the many outings he and Neji had gone out on, and remembered how he enjoyed the Hyuuga's presence, his opinions, his eyes—his kisses.

Yet, all of this was still new to him, and he could not be with someone without knowing what it entailed.

"You don't have to answer me right away," Neji said.

"…I don't know how I feel about you Neji," Gaara told him truthfully. "I need to think about this."

"I can accept that," Neji responded, walking up to him. Gaara looked at him suspiciously. "Don't worry. Next time I kiss you like that," referring to the heated kiss he had just given him, "it will be with your permission." He then turned around heading for his door. "Come on, let's go enjoy the rest of the party."

Gaara simply nodded, and followed him out of his bedroom.

As they walked to the celebration, Neji couldn't help but try his luck as he gently grasped Gaara's hand. He looked at teal-eyes and silently asked permission, keeping the other's hand in his own. The red-head stared down at their joint hands, and after a minute looked at away; leaving his hand in Neji's grasp.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

Back at the party, an enthusiastic blonde was animatedly talking to a bored Uchiha, at least that's what anyone watching the two would decipher. However, Sasuke was actually having a great time listening to Naruto recount old tales of their childhood. Sasuke had almost forgotten all the good memories he had with the blonde. Listening to Naruto talk about old times served to remind him of forgotten memories.

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke interrupted him in mid sentence.

"Uh," the blonde said, a little surprised that Sasuke actually chose to talk.

Sasuke ignored his surprise and continued on. "You gave Neji the pendant months ago, and you still haven't told me what you want from me."

At first Naruto was a little confused at his words, but quickly caught on. _"I almost forgot I gave the pendant to Gaara,"_ he remembered.

"You won the bet…So, what do I need to do?" Sasuke asked. He wanted to know what was in store for him. It had been months since Neji gave him the small item, and Naruto never once asked about it. It was irritating him. He just wanted to get the whole bet over with.

"I actually forgot about the whole thing," Naruto told him with a sheepish smile that clearly said 'oops'.

"_Great. And I've just reminded him. Nice going,"_ Sasuke mentally berated himself.

"I'll have to think about it," the blonde said before dismissing the entire thing and returning to the story he had been telling.

"Anyways, like I was saying. After we ran away from the two guys, you should have seen your face. It was like a tomato," at this point Naruto laughed his ass off. "You were so scared that your Dad would find out."

Sasuke tried to ignore the laughing blonde, but couldn't quite pull it off, so instead chose to smack him on the head.

"Idiot"

"Hey, at least I'm not the one that wore pink underwe—"

Sasuke tackled the blonde, effectively shutting him up.

The guests around them simply ignored the two boys rolling on the floor. They had become used to their behavior after the fifth time the raven-haired boy tackled the laughing blonde. It was quite amusing.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

A few feet away, a worried Hinata looked at the laughing blonde being tackled—again—by an annoyed Uchiha.

"Is that the sixth time?" Itachi asked her, as he came up to her.

"I hope they don't get hurt," Hinata absently said to herself. She had been witness to similar episodes throughout the night, but that did not stop her from worrying every time.

"They're just having fun," Itachi told her. He was happy that his brother was actually having a good time. "How are you?" he asked her, turning his attention away from his brother and the blonde to the girl in front of him.

"I'm fine," she quickly answered as a small blush revealed itself on her pretty face.

Itachi smiled. "Would you like to dance?" he asked her; holding out his hand.

Hinata looked at it for a second before placing her own small one inside the larger one. Itachi didn't waste his time and slowly lead her to the dance floor. They danced in harmony along with the other couples.

To her right, Hinata noticed Ino and Choji dancing. The blonde female gave her a silent cheer which only served to make her more nervous. Trying to hide her rising blush from Itachi, she buried her face in his chest.

"Relax. It's only a dance," Itachi told her noticing the crimson color. Hinata said nothing. She kept her face resting on his chest, and allowed her eyes to roam the room.

She immediately noticed Shino and Kiba. They were sitting alone talking to each other. Kiba seemed happy. Then she noticed the reason: two clasped hands underneath the table.

They were holding hands.

She smiled at them.

Itachi noticed her smile, but said nothing. He hoped he was the reason for her sudden smile. As they continued to sway to the music, Hinata began to relax in his arms. Itachi noticed and could not help but smile in return.

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The Christmas party continued. Each couple breaking off, discovering new emotions. New possibilities. By the time the celebration ended, friendships warped and many couples uncovered a stronger bond they never thought lay beneath.

Friendship became more, and strangers became friends. It was a night of new beginnings, a night of discovery.

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"Good night."

"Thank you for inviting us."

"The party was wonderful."

The celebration was at is end and the usual good-byes were given out.

In the parlor the Sabaku siblings, along with Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, Kiba, and Shikamaru waited for Gaara, who had yet to make his appearance. They all decided to wait for the red-head since no one wanted to leave just yet.

Hiashi entered the parlor and noticed Temari with Shikamaru.

"_Poor Neji," _he thought, feeling a little bad for his nephew.

"I hope you had a good time," Hiashi told them.

"It was a wonderful Party Mr. Hyuuga," Temari answered him, her arms wrapped around Shikamaru's left arm. "We'll be leaving soon. We're just waiting for our younger brother. Oh, there he—"

However, Temari was too stunned to finish her sentence as she watched along with the shocked audience behind her as Gaara walked in with Neji. Neji had yet to release his hand.

Hiashi looked at the group of teens in question and turned around to see what all the commotion was about.

He was staggered by the sight.

Neji walked into the parlor with Gaara, and pointedly ignored the stares he and Gaara received.

"I hope you had a good time," Neji told him, still ignoring the others.

Gaara was a little uncomfortable with all the stares. Why wasn't anyone staring at Temari. She was practically hanging off Shikamaru's arm! He was only holding Neji's hand, so why all the stares?

Seeing Gaara's discomfort, Neji walked him to the door, and as he passed the group of people he saw the shock that prevented them from doing anything but follow their progress.

He smiled at them and kept Gaara's hand in his.

"I'll see you on New Year's," Neji told him, as if confirming a date. He then bent down to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. He lingered for a moment before pulling away. The audience shock increased ten-fold.

Gaara blushed, remembering the heated kiss on the balcony. He didn't trust his voice, so he nodded.

Neji opened the door for him and Gaara walked out, already pulling the keys from his pockets.

Neji closed the door behind him, and turned to face the stunned audience. He looked at their faces and raised an eyebrow in question. "What?" he casually asked.

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So, there it is. I hope you like it. The next chapter should finish up any loose strings, before the plot (yes, there is actually a plot) will reach the first climax; although that will not occur in the next chapter but the chapter after.

Reviews are appreciated. Thanks. ;)


	8. Ch 8: Revelations

A/N:

So, here's the next chapter. New characters are introduced as the plot thickens.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far. I enjoyed reading your comments. Hope you enjoy reading this next installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**Revelations**_

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Gaara watched with annoyance as a laughing blonde pounded his fist on the floor. By the time Naruto calmed himself down; his eyes were glistening with unshed tears of mirth.

"I can't believe he had to kiss you THREE TIMES until you finally got it through your head that the guy liked you," Naruto practically shouted as he picked himself off the floor.

"Shut up, Idiot," Gaara snapped out, seeing the crowd of students the blonde was attracting. It was the first Friday since school began, and everyone was looking forward to the long-awaited weekend. "I just didn't expect it."

After being a witness to Neji's and Gaara's departure at the Christmas Celebration, Naruto had been the first too snap out of his stupor and had immediately run after his friend. When he finally caught up to him just as Gaara was unlocking his car, Naruto slipped inside and waited a respectable two minutes before he pounded him with questions. Gaara, who still felt a little odd about the entire incident, chose to ignore him. However, it was easier said than done. Naruto could be a persistent bastard when he chose too.

Gaara wanted to sort out his own thoughts and feelings before he told anyone anything, and two weeks after New Year's he made his relationship with Neji official. So the next time Naruto began to bug him about Neji and him, he just told him the entire thing.

"Damn and people call me slow," the blonde continued to tease him.

Gaara just walked away from him and headed for his car.

"Hey Gaara, come on. I was just messing with you," the blonde hollered, but his red-headed friend just ignored him. Sighing to himself, Naruto walked after him, ready to apologize.

Unsurprisingly, Gaara ignored his petty apologies as he walked to his car; however, once he noticed a familiar Uchiha an evil smirk spread over his usual stoic features. Naruto became worried when he realized the reason his friend was grinning evilly. This did not bode well for him.

"_Sweet revenge," _Gaara thought before making a beeline toward Naruto's crush.

Sasuke noticed that Naruto was just as surprised to be standing in front of him as he was, so he looked toward the red-head for an explanation. Gaara usually made it a point to avoid a conversation with the Uchiha, yet here he was in front of that very person, and even more surprising, he was actually initiating the conversation.

"Naruto has decided what he wants for winning the bet, but is too embarrassed to tell you himself, so I'm doing it for him," he began in his usual blunt way, and with a straight face he continued on. "He wants hot raunchy sex, but is not quite sure if you can deliver. So, he wants a practice round before he decides if you're good enough, or should I say, rough enough."

With that he walked away from a shocked crimson colored Uchiha and a stuttering Naruto as he tried to say something in defense but all that came out were jumbled half-formed words. Gaara just kept on walking to his car; an evil smile plastered on his face.

"_That should teach him," _thought the red-head. Okay, so Neji had made his intentions quite obvious, but Gaara had never even considered the possibility of someone—anyone for that matter, liking him in that manner. Sure, he was a good observer, but it was quite a different story when it came to oneself.

Besides, Neji had no reason to want him. Who would want someone half broken?

He was barely managing to put himself back together, so why would Neji choose him when he could be with just about anyone he chose too—male or female. He knew what everyone thought about him: perfection. And why wouldn't they? He possessed everything from looks to material wealth mixed in with an uncanny intelligence. What more could one ask for? Why would someone like that even notice him?

All his life, his father had drilled it into his head that no one could possibly want him…love him.

It was no wonder he never even thought of the possibility. But he had to admit it, if only to himself, he had been naïve when it came to the Hyuuga.

God, how that irked him.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

As Neji walked toward the parking lot, he noticed his favorite red-head and quickly changed his course. By the time he reached him, Gaara was deep in thought. Neji made his presence known as he wrapped his arms around Gaara's slim waist and nuzzled his neck, brushing his lips on the tender flesh.

The abrupt greeting took Gaara by surprise and he slightly stiffened at the contact; however, to Neji's satisfaction, Gaara instantly relaxed to his familiar touch.

"Missed me?" he asked as a dozen students stopped in their tracks in order to catch a glimpse of the proceedings.

Since their return to school, Neji had taken every opportunity to make his claim clear: **MINE, DON'T TOUCH**.

The entire student body had been in an uproar, but as Neji made his affection for the red-head known, everyone mostly got used to the site; but that didn't stop people from openly gaping at them every time the Hyuuga decided to lay claim to his property. Of course, no one would ever dare say that to the red-head's face, but it was an undeniable truth. In the eyes of everyone, Gaara belonged to Neji, never even considering that maybe just maybe Neji was as much Gaara's property as they all assumed the red-head was his.

Gaara had been a little annoyed with the PDA (public display of affection), but Neji expertly got around that. He was no fool. For months now, he'd observed as a larger and larger portion of the student body began to look at the red-head in undisguised interest. Gaara could be as dense as Naruto sometimes, and dismissed the added attention believing it was directed toward Naruto, which it sometimes was. The blonde was always loud; thus, he would attract stares. Logical right.

However, Neji knew better. The side-long stares, as well as the giggles that erupted from groups of girls every time Gaara passed by did not go unnoticed by him, and it only grew worse after Halloween.

The Haunted House had been a huge success, which was evident by the pandemonium that broke out as students exchanged stories and recounted their own fright. But as luck should have it, the one story that seemed to surface more than most was the mysterious vampire.

The girls had a field day with that particular tale, and soon enough, everyone put two and two together. I mean, their was only one guy that fit that description. Honestly, it was kind of hard to hide your identity when you were the only person with blood red hair.

Neji barely contained his fit of jealousy every time he noticed dozens of eyes, both male and female, gaze at Gaara with want. Thus, as soon as they made their relationship official, Neji was quick to lay claims on him; he didn't want any misunderstandings. Gaara was his and his alone.

"I just passed a stuttering Naruto and if Sasuke's cheeks turn any redder he's going to pass out from all the blood rushing to his face," Neji told him, making his way to Gaara's soft lips. "Tell me, did you have anything to do with it?"

"Hmph," was all the response Neji received from the stubborn red-head.

"_He looks cute when he pouts,"_ Neji noted as he shrugged his shoulders figuring he could always bug Sasuke about it. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want," then a perverted smile blossomed on his face, "…Besides, there are much better uses for that pretty little mouth of yours, " he said as he crushed his mouth to Gaara's own.

When they finally parted for air, half of the students who had witnessed the entire thing were either sporting nose bleeds or looking away with mad blushes.

"Come on, we'll go to my house to work on our art project," Neji said, dismissing the stares he and Gaara were getting.

"I need to stop by my house first and grab a few things," Gaara told him; ignoring the stares as well.

"I'll meet you there."

Gaara shrugged and got in his car, while Neji headed to his own vehicle.

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Gaara walked in his room and grabbed a couple of art books he owned along with a few other things, including a warm jacket, which he thought he might need. Once he retrieved everything, he went downstairs to tell Temari he was going over to Neji's to work on a project.

He found his sister in the kitchen where he had seen her when he first came in; however, she was no longer alone. She was talking to Neji as he helped her finish up the dishes.

After making it blatantly obvious that he and Neji were a couple at the Christmas celebration, Temari had been shocked. Sure Gaara was cute, but she never thought that he might actually return someone's feelings, especially a guy's. However, after the initial shock wore off, Temari found that she was okay with the entire thing. If Neji made her younger brother happy, then who was she to protest?

It wasn't easy at first, especially when Neji's kisses became anything but chaste. Gaara was still her younger brother, and she did not want to be an audience to that sort of thing; didn't matter if it was a guy or girl sticking their tongue down her younger brother's throat. But, she was now comfortable with the whole thing. She even thought it was sort of cute, especially how Neji insisted on having Gaara in his arms every time they were together; and if their kisses got a little out of hand, which was always the Hyuuga's doing, she would simply throw a pillow at them told them to "get a room"; while a shocked Kankuro yelled at her for "giving them ideas".

Gaara waited till they finished the dishes before talking to Temari. But before he could open his mouth, Neji swooped down and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek while grabbing his book bag as he headed for his car. Gaara scowled at Neji throughout the entire exchange, while Temari looked on in undisguised amusement. By the time he said goodbye to his sister, Neji was already waiting for him in his car.

When Gaara slipped inside, Neji looked at him with an amused glint in is eyes as he pointed to a chocolate wrapper carelessly thrown on the dashboard.

After Temari accepted his relationship with Neji, she had done what any evil sister did when one of their siblings got a special someone: she spilled all his secrets that only a person you live with could possible know. For example, the fact that Gaara tended to overindulge on dark chocolate thus was not allowed more than a couple of pieces at a time. Of course, that did not stop him from buying box after box of the sweet substance; problem was that Temari often raided the house looking for his secret stash.

Gaara swore she had x-ray vision because no matter where he hid them (taped under his and one time Kankuro's bed, hidden in the pile of laundry, underneath the creaky floorboard he had pried loose, in his locker, Naruto's locker, hidden inside a tool chest in the garage, hidden in between a pile of old blankets located in the attic, etc.) she always managed to find them.

And so the Hyuuga had cut a deal with him: he would provide Gaara with different places to hide his stash from Temari, if Gaara followed a certain set of rules. After listening and adjusting them, Gaara reluctantly agreed.

Rule #1: Gaara must not physically protest anytime Neji decides to show his affection in public.

Rule #2: Every time Neji has dark chocolate in his mouth, no matter where they find themselves, Gaara must kiss him until all traces of the chocolate are gone.

Rule #3: Dates are a must, and Gaara must accept at least 3 dates every month.

Thus, once he saw the discarded dark chocolate wrapper, Gaara simply sighed before jumping on the Hyuuga. Neji immediately pulled the red-head onto his lap and let Gaara lick his mouth until all traces of the sweet substance were gone from his mouth. Neji was a little disappointed when Gaara finally pulled back, but he couldn't complain.

"Are you going to let me go now?" Gaara asked him in a bored tone. Neji still had him on his lap, and the steering wheel that was digging into his back was a little uncomfortable. Neji complied and let the red-head return to his seat.

"That's the eighth time this week you've done that, Hyuuga," Gaara told him as he looked out the window.

"Huh, I thought it was more than that," Neji said, "I should probably work on increasing that number," he casually told him.

Gaara just rolled his eyes as the two rode to their next destination in a comfortable silence.

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Once they reached Neji's house, the two teens were greeted by the butler, who informed Neji that Hiashi had a few associates over and wanted him to greet them once he arrived.

Neji rolled his eyes at the news and told Gaara he would be back soon. Gaara shrugged and watched as Neji walked away with the butler.

While waiting for Neji to arrive, Gaara walked into the parlor and spent his time staring off into space, but while he was busy staring at the blank wall in front of him, another person entered the room.

"And who might you be, little love?" an unfamiliar voice said mere inches behind the red-head. Gaara stiffened at the close proximity of the person, but shrugged it off. He turned around and gave the black-haired male his why-the-hell-are-you-speaking-to-me glare for the "little love" comment. HE WAS NOT LITTLE!!!

"Feisty, aren't we?" the other chuckled noticing Gaara's 'cute' glare. "My name's Sai, what's yours?" he asked him.

"Gaara," he answered; never dropping his glare.

"Hmmm…your not much of a people person are you Gaara?" Sai told him as he regarded the red-head with open curiosity. Then as if making up his mind he stepped closer. "You're cute," Sai stated as he slid his finger down Gaara's face, following the curve of his cheek.

He cringed at the contact, but stayed in place—he refused to be intimated, and instead aimed his you-did-not-just-do-that glare at him.

Sai cocked his head to the side regarding him with interest. When Hiashi had invited him to him to a friendly gathering, Sai had been sure he would be bored to death. And as usual, he had been correct.

He grew tired as the middle aged men who only talked about business affairs, he just wanted to go home and relax. Sometimes he really hated his father for dying early and making him take over the family business.

Thanks to his new position, he had been forced to grow all too fast and never really had a childhood to speak of, and now he was stuck at a stupid gathering where talk of the stock market was light conversation.

Unsurprisingly, he soon grew tired and had excused himself. He was heading toward the bathroom when he had walked passed the parlor and saw Gaara. Too his delight, it was a guy and to add icing on the cake, he looked to be close to his age.

Since he became the President of his company, Sai had become bored with the doting people who constantly surrounded him, but here in front of him stood a cute looking red-head that didn't care about his title—though Gaara didn't seem too happy to talk to him. But he could easily get the red-head to fall for him—at least those were his thoughts when, without warning, he captured the red-head in a tight hug; effectively pinning his arms to his sides.

Gaara growled at the unexpected embrace, while Sai decided to nuzzle his neck.

"That's it," Gaara snapped as he clenched his fist and in one powerful motion, swung his hand breaking through the unwanted embrace, but before he could punch the bastard, Sai quickly side-stepped and in one quick motion grabbed his wrist.

"Now, now," Sai said wagging his finger in reprimand. "You really shouldn't hit people. Someone might think you don't like them."

"Don't touch me," Gaara growled out as his free hand clenched into another tight fist ready to punch him if he didn't comply.

"You heard him. Now, get your hands **OFF MY** boyfriend!" Neji snarled from the entrance in a low and deadly tone.

Sai had just begun to nuzzle Gaara's neck when Neji had walked in the parlor. The site that greeted him sent a river of rage pouring through his system as he looked at Sai with murderous intent.

Hearing Neji's angry words, Sai reluctantly released the red-head's wrist, while Neji narrowed his eyes at him as he saw Gaara scoot away from him.

"Boyfriend?" Sai said with a look of confusion on his face. "I didn't know he was taken, Neji. If I'd known he was yours, I would never have touched him," the dark haired male explained as he aimed a look of remorse at the enraged Hyuuga.

"**SAI, GET OUT NOW!**" Neji yelled at him barely containing his rage.

At his outburst, dozens of footsteps could be heard as his uncle, along with his guests, came to see what the commotion was about.

"Neji what's gotten into you?" Hiashi asked him, shocked at the way he was treating one of his guests. The other guests stood a respectable few meters away, yet close enough to overhear the proceedings. Neji was known for keeping a cool-head and was always polite to everyone, yet there he stood yelling at one of his uncle's business associates, so like the vultures they were, they stood close by to find out what could have set off the usual cold Hyuuga.

Hiashi looked into the room trying to figure out what was going on. Inside the parlor, he saw Sai smiling at his nephew, while a confused looking Gaara stood a few feet away.

At the entrance, Neji seethed in anger at Sai's nonchalant attitude. His patience quickly snapped as Sai ignored his words.

He decided to execute his own order as he walked up to him, and without preamble, grabbed Sai's collar and used it to drag him out of the parlor and toward the front entrance. Using his free hand, he opened the front door, and roughly shoved Sai outside.

Hiashi, along with his guests, followed Neji and witnessed as the Hyuuga began to shout at the dark-haired male in undisguised hate.

"**STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BASTARD!!! IF I EVERY SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR HIM I SWEAR YOU'LL REGRET IT!!!"**Neji shouted as he glared daggers at Sai's smiling form.

"Neji, that's enough," Hiashi spoke harshly, though it went unnoticed by his nephew.

"It was an honest mistake," Sai told him while he raised his arms out in a gesture of peace.

"**I DON'T CARE. IF YOU TOUCH GAARA ONE MORE TIME, I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT I DO,"** Neji snarled. **"NOW LEAVE BEFORE I HAVE SOMEONE THROW YOU OUT!" **

"Neji, you will apologize this instant. You know better than to treat my guests in this manner," Hiashi spoke up.

"**THE FUCK I WILL!"** Neji yelled never taking his eyes off Sai.

"NEJI!" yelled Hiashi, shocked by his language.

"It's okay, it's my fault really," Sai interrupted Hiashi. "I saw a cute little red-head in the parlor, and wanted to talk to him, but Neji walked in on us when I embraced him in greeting. If I had known it was Neji's boyfriend then I would never have been so forward," Sai apologized.

"THAT'S IT!" Neji bit out as he stepped forward clenching his fist ready to kick his ass for telling such lies.

Embraced him in greeting, _please_; Gaara would not have tried to punch him if he was only introducing himself. When Neji walked in the parlor, Sai was practically molesting his boyfriend, and now the bastard was going to pay.

"If you insist on fighting me then be aware that I will defend myself," Sai told him as he lifted his sleeves up ready to exchange blows with the Hyuuga.

"NEJI! You will not engage him!" yelled Hiashi as he watched Neji draw near his opponent, ready to deliver a swift and powerful punch. However, before they could come to blows an audible shout echoed inside the mansion. Neji instantly stiffened at the familiar voice.

"That's Gaara," Hiashi said in confusion as he turned around to face the front door, forgetting all about the two teens.

As another cry of help was heard, Neji was quick to act as he sprinted up the front steps and ran past the sea of people littering the front entrance. He forgot all about Sai and everyone as he ran to the parlor where he had left Gaara alone. As Neji sprinted out of sight, everyone else, including a worried Sai, ran after him.

Seconds later, Neji skidded to a halt inside the parlor as he heard another shout and loud thuds coming from inside the coat closet.

"Shit!" he practically shouted as he ran to the closed closet where Gaara was currently pounding on the door. He could literally feel the door groan in protest as Gaara began to franticly kick the door in a desperate attempt to break it open.

Neji hastily tried to open the door, but his efforts proved useless.

The door was locked.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE KEY?" he yelled at the useless people behind him.

"I'll go find it, Master Neji," the butler quickly said as he ran out of the room.

Neji turned back to the closet where Gaara was desperately trying to free himself.

"OPEN…"—THUMP—"…THE…"—THUMP—THUMP—"DOOR!"—THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—.

Neji bent down and tried to gauge Gaara location; he needed to calm him down before he had a panic attack.

"Gaara. It's me Neji," he shouted trying to get the red-head to hear him. Neji kept up his shouting trying to get Gaara to calm down. "Don't worry Gaara. I'm going to get you out of there as soon they bring down the key," Neji told him, "but you have to calm down before you have panic attack. Please, calm down."

"_Shit,"_ he thought. _"I have to get him out of there!!!"_

As the seconds dragged on, Gaara become worse, and Neji was forced to become a witness to his suffering.

God, he felt so useless.

When Gaara needed him the most, he was rendered powerless by a piece of wood that served as a barrier to separate them.

"_WHY AM I SO WEAK?!"_ he mentally yelled at himself as he did the only thing he could and tried to talk to Gaara in an attempt to calm him down.

After what seemed like and eternity, the butler finally returned. "Here it is," he said as he quickly went to Neji who took the key from him and instantly unlocked the door; hastily throwing it open.

As soon as the door flew open, Gaara threw himself at Neji's form. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Neji caught him and abruptly pulled him into a crushing hug. The panicked teen instantly wrapped his arms around him and began to softly whimper. Neji loosened his tight hold on him and gently placed him on his lap, while he urgently ran his fingers through the familiar red locks.

Neji caught Gaara's trembling form and began to plant frantic kisses all over his face; murmuring words of affection between his kisses.

"Its okay," Neji cooed; trying to calm the trembling red-head. "I'm here. I won't leave you. You're not alone," Neji assured him while Gaara buried his face in his chest as images of his father ran through his mind.

As Neji continued his ministration, he shifted his attention to the group of people still in the room. The undisguised rage radiating off the young Hyuuga's eyes made a few people step back in fright.

"Who did this to him?" he growled out in a low voice filled with venom. Gaara could not have possibly locked himself in; thus, someone else had done this to him, and he was going to find out who it was and make them pay for what they did to his love—yes, he loved him.

It was an unexpected realization, and as the foreign emotion made itself known, he simply accepted it without question. However, the realization was quickly pushed aside. At the moment, Gaara needed him, and he had no time to contemplate his ever growing feelings for the red-head.

Instead, he focused his attention on the group of lawyers. "Answer me!" he hissed.

However, his question went unanswered as Hiashi wisely stepped in. "I think this get-together is over," he stated as he looked at his guest. "I'll escort you out," Hiashi finished, leading his guests out of the room.

Though he wanted revenge, his first priority was Gaara. He would not seek retribution while Gaara was in such a state. His trembling body only got worse as his condition worsened. Not even looking back at the retreating people, Neji focused all his attention of Gaara, who was having a panic attack right in his arms.

Everyone was too shocked at the unexpected turn of events to do anything but follow Hiashi out. As they filed out of the room, a young lady, who had worn a sleek red dress at the winter celebration, shifted her attention on the couple on the floor and noticed as the frightened red-head began to have a panic attack. It was all she could do not to openly laugh at the scene and instead let a sly smirk escape her lips.

Once all the guests were dismissed, everyone headed for their vehicles and drove away.

Ten minutes later, the same young lady, who had been one of Hiashi's guests, sat at a local café drinking her decaf as she regarded her cherry-filled pastry with a hint of laughter, and without warning she burst into a fit of giggles as she recalled Gaara's trembling body.

"It's too bad the stupid butler knew where to find the key," she said to herself after she recovered from her outburst. "Oh, well. Maybe this will teach that disgusting creature not to aim so high. Hyuuga Neji is too good for you," she said as she glared at the pastry in front of her. "All you can bring him is humiliation, and in the end he will only end up hating you," she smiled to herself at the last bit as she speared the pastry with her fork and watched in fascination as the red goo steadily began to flow out onto the dainty dish.

It looked like a river of blood.

"Too bad I can't play with you a bit more," she pouted. "But Orochimaru wants me to seduce the young Hyuuga, so I can't waste my time torturing you," she sighed.

In the table behind her, Sai continued to drink his latte as he listened to Kin, the new lawyer, confess her part in Gaara's earlier predicament. When he determined she wasn't going to say anything more of value, he raised his hand and asked for his check.

"Orochimaru, what are you up to?" Sai murmured to himself as he walked out of the small café.

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A few hours later, a worn out Kankuro paced outside Neji's door.

"You can go inside and see him," Hiashi told him, gesturing to Neji's slightly opened door. The elder Hyuuga had just returned from dinner.

"I just left him. He's still sleeping thanks to those sleeping pills Neji gave him," Kankuro said to Hiashi as he stopped his insistent pacing.

Hiashi had been the one to call him to inform him of Gaara's condition. After hearing the news, Kankuro's thoughts had turned chaotic as he rushed to the Hyuuga mansion, and when he finally arrived, he was lead to Neji's room where Temari and Neji were looking over Gaara's slumbering form.

After Neji explained what happened, Kankuro sighed in relief as he mentally thanked himself for informing Neji about Gaara's panic attacks. He didn't even want to think in what condition his little brother would now be in if Neji hadn't known what to do throughout Gaara's episode.

"Is Temari still down there?" Kankuro asked the elder Hyuuga, referring to the dining room.

"Yes, Hinata is keeping her company."

Kankuro nodded, and in a more serious tone thanked Hiashi for calling him as soon as Gaara was okay.

"Neji would have called you himself, but he didn't want to leave his side," Hiashi explained as he peered in at the slightly opened door. Gaara was silently sleeping on the large bed, while Neji, who was sitting on a chair, gently stroked his red locks. "He really likes him," Hiashi softly said.

"Yeah," Kankuro replied as he looked at the serene scene inside the room. "You know, I didn't really know what to think when I first found out about them. I didn't think Gaara even knew about romantic love. He spent most of his life living at home with my late father that he became isolated from society. I guess it came as a shock to me because I still see him as that little boy who once asked me with a serious face why people went to parties—I guess I have to let go sometime," Kankuro said with a hint of a smile as he watched Neji gently tuck a rogue strand of red hair behind Gaara's ear, "…I'm glad they found each other."

Hiashi shifted his attention to Kankuro as he nodded his head in agreement. "I am also happy they found each other. I've never seen Neji so happy," Hiashi said. "After he lost both his parents he became cold and distant toward his family, and never once showed an ounce of emotion other than anger and hate. But looking at him care for your brother, one would never have guessed that not too long ago, he wouldn't even utter a word of affectionate to anyone."

"They've both been in pain most of their lives. I guess that's what drew them to each other," the older Sabaku said aloud.

"Maybe."

They watched as Neji ran his fingers through Gaara's hair for a while longer before they decided to leave them alone. Kankuro and Hiashi made their way to the dining room where they informed everyone that Gaara was still sound asleep. Kankuro and Temari stayed a while longer. Once night hit, both Sabaku's said their good-bye's and thanked everyone for their hospitality.

Kankuro then followed Neji to his room and lifted a slumbering Gaara in his arms while a reluctant Neji watched from the entrance. "Are you sure he can't spend the night?" Neji asked them for the fifth time. He didn't want them to take Gaara but at the same time, he couldn't really blame them—they were his siblings.

"Maybe another time," Temari told him as she watched Gaara curl into Kankuro much like he used too when he was a baby. "How long are those sleeping pills you gave him supposed to last?" Temari asked him.

"The package said two pills should last twelve hours, so he should wake up by tomorrow morning," Neji answered as he watched Kankuro walk out of his room.

Temari noticed the longing look he gave the door Kankuro had just passed and sighed. "You can come over earlier in the morning if you want," she told him.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"It's the least I can do," Temari told him.

That night Neji had a hard time going to sleep. Even though he knew Gaara was still sleeping and in the care of his brother and sister, he was till worried. As the hours dragged on, he eventually fell asleep eager to see Gaara in the morning.

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"_Okay, so maybe I won't torture Gaara till he screams for mercy," _thought Naruto as Sasuke finally broke their steamy kiss, and in the process loosened his hold on his blonde spikes as he let go of him and took a step back. With Sasuke no longer crushing his body to his car door, Naruto legs almost gave out on him, but he managed to catch himself on the rearview mirror of his car before he his face greeted the concrete floor of the school parking lot.

After Gaara's blunt words, Sasuke was rendered speechless as he looked at the stuttering blonde who desperately tried to grope for any words of explanation as his brain shut down from humiliation. He was too embarrassed to even look at Sasuke and as the situation dragged on, things were only going to get worse. So, he did what any frightened creature would do in a situation they couldn't handle—he ran.

For several seconds, Sasuke just started at Naruto's retreating back, but as the blonde turned a corner he immediately snapped out his self-induced paralysis and did the only thing he could think of—he ran after him.

"Dobe, stop running!" he shouted, but Naruto only picked up his speed. "Idiot! When I catch up to you—"

However, he was unable to finish his threat as he lost sight of him in the bustling crowds of students.

"Damn it!" Sasuke yelled as he punched the wall beside him. Several students quickened their steps as they noticed the furious Uchiha.

Naruto took a quick peek behind his shoulder and found that he had lost him, but he kept running just in case. When he finally came to stop in front of a pizza parlor, he leaned on the wall, trying to stabilize his breathing.

"I'm so stupid," he wailed as he ran a hand over his face. "Why did I have to run? ...Damn it, Sasuke probably thinks I'm trying to hide something," he mentally berated himself.

"I'm going to KILL GAARA!" he yelled as he conjured up creative and original ways in which to torture his red-headed friend.

He couldn't believe Gaara had taken his joking words seriously! For goodness sake, he had only been kidding about the whole "hot raunchy sex" thing. If he'd known Gaara was actually paying attention as he muttered out different ideas he could make Sasuke do, he would have kept his big trap shut.

Now he would have to wait till Sasuke left so he could retrieve his car from the school parking lot where he had left it when he ran away from him.

For the next hour, Naruto busied himself at the local arcade that was only a few blocks from the pizza shop he had stopped at. After the hour was up, he walked back to school and slowly made his way to the school parking lot, ever watchful for a flash of raven hair.

"Okay, his car isn't here," Naruto told himself aloud. There were only a few cars left and he was sure none of them were Sasuke's. Thus, with this new found assurance, he confidently walked up to his car, all the while rummaging through his pocket as he looked for his keys.

Finding his keys, Naruto beamed. "There you are..."

"Exactly what I was thinking…" Sasuke said behind him.

Naruto's whirled around and found a very pissed off Uchiha in front of him. "Sa-Sasuke!"

Sasuke leaned forward and laid both of hands on either side of Naruto and watched as his sapphire eyes widen in shock.

He smirked.

"Explain."

"Uh-uh…" Naruto tried to come up with a decent excuse but having Sasuke so close was not helping his muddled brain, and at the moment he was too busy trying not to stare at Sasuke's inviting lips.

Seeing as Naruto was too busy trying to look away from him, Sasuke decided to get his attention by leaning closer until their noses were mere centimeters apart. Naruto's brain was official shutting down as his cheeks burned with mortification.

However, mortification soon turned to anger as another smirk appeared on the Uchiha's lips.

"FUCK YOU! I DON'T HAVE EXPLAIN SHIT TO YOU," he yelled. "AS IF I WOULD WANT A COLD HEARTED BASTARD LIKE YOU—DON'T EVEN FLATTER YOUSELF…YOU'RE NOT SOME KIND OF SEX GOD UCHIHA SASUKE. I BET YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO KISS…"

"_Where did that come from?"_ Naruto thought as he kept on yelling pretty much anything that popped into his head.

Sasuke had enough, and ended the blonde's little tantrum with the only option left to him after the whole kiss comment—he crushed their lips together.

He felt Naruto stiffen under his assualt, but the blonde did nothing else—no punching him, no throwing him off to yell at him fro doing such gross things, nothing. To his surprise Naruto actually pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, successfully taking control of the heated kiss.

Not to be outdone by the 'Dobe', Sasuke immediately grabbed Naruto's blonde's spikes and pressed his body even closer until there was no space left between them. Using the golden locks, he pulled Naruto's head back and ravaged his mouth until the blonde surrendered to him.

When he finally pulled away Naruto had the air of someone who had just been thorough ravaged. It was quite sexy.

"Still think I can't kiss?" Sasuke asked as he watched a dazed Naruto's save himself from falling on the hard ground by grabbing on to his rearview mirror.

He smirked.

Naruto wanted to punch the living daylights out of the smug bastard when he saw the satisfied smirk that graced his very talented lips. "It was okay," he lied.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie. "Is that why you were moaning?"

If it was possible Naruto's face turned an even darker shade of red and in his surprise he loosened his hold on the rearview mirror and fell toward the pavement. Luckily for him, Sasuke had quick reflexes and caught him before his face hit the concrete. Very slowly, he pulled him up until they were at eye-level.

Although it didn't outwardly show on the Uchiha's face, Sasuke's mind was running a marathon.

"_I just kissed him…and I liked it."_

He couldn't believe that he was actually having theses thoughts about Naruto. He shouldn't be holding him this close, shouldn't be staring at his supple lips that were plump from his kiss...shouldn't be leaning toward him…shouldn't kiss…him…

All thoughts slipped from his mind as he kissed Naruto again, but unlike their first kiss, this one was gentle. He used his time to explore the wet cavern that was Naruto. He continued his inspection as he felt strong hands bury themselves in his raven hair. It was a real first kiss—a lover's kiss. When they parted, both were left with more questions than what they started with.

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's muscled chest. "Where does this leave us?" he quietly whispered into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke said nothing as he continued to hold the blonde his arms in the deserted parking lot.

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"I think we have a slight problem with one of the pawns you wish to use," Kabuto said as he stared down at Orochimaru's still form.

Golden eyes flicked toward him. "Which one?"

"Hyuuga Neji," Kabuto instantly responded like the good servant he was.

Orochimaru set aside the paperwork he had been working on and leaned back on the antique chair. He stared back at his loyal servant and silently asked him to explain.

"It seems that Neji isn't as isolated as we first thought. Kin reported that he is close to his family and is even in a relationship."

Orochimaru frowned. "My that is a problem." He continued to frown as Kabuto watched him. "Inform Kin that she has three months in which to seduce the Hyuuga. After that, we will move on to Plan B."

"Yes sir."

"Tell me. How is my other pawn doing?" Orochimaru curiously asked.

"Uchiha Sasuke has grown closer to his older brother, but he still craves power. The fragile bond is still weak enough to shatter," Kabuto reported. "As far as we know he still remains isolated from everyone," at this point Kabuto stopped as if contemplating something.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in question. "Is there something I should know?"

Kabuto looked perturbed but answered the question. "Although he is isolated, there is one person who affects him." Kabuto looked at Orochimaru in warning. "Uzumaki Naruto. I believe they have a small bond. The only reason it remains intact is due to their long association."

Orochimaru frowned at the news. It had taken him months to find the perfect candidates for his plan, and now that he was almost ready to execute it, both of his pawns decided to go off and become attached to someone. He really couldn't have that.

"Keep an eye on it," Orochimaru said referring to Sasuke and Naruto's apparent bond.

"As you wish," Kabuto said as he bowed to the long-haired man and walked out of the office.

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So, there it is. I hope you like it. I start school next week so I won't have much time to write. Though, I've finally reached a point in the story where I can just freely write without worrying about character development. FYI, I still have at least one more important character to introduce. Until next time…

Reviews are appreciated. Thanks. ;)


	9. Ch 9: And the Wheels Turn…

A/N:

So, here's the next chapter. A new character is introduced, and FYI—Iruka is the principle. Just wanted to make that clear.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far. I enjoyed reading your comments. Hope you enjoy reading this next installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**And the Wheels Turn…**_

"THE STUPID BASTARD, HOW DARE HE IGNORE ME!!!" Kin shrieked as she slammed the door with more force than was needed.

Kabuto, who had been checking over some reports, looked up at her sudden entrance and tried to swallow the smile that almost made it to his lips.

For the last three months Kin's attempts to seduce the Hyuuga had ended in utter failure; and for someone who was used to having men fall at her feet at the mere twitch of her finger, this was definitely a blow to her ego. But try as she might, Neji simply was not interested.

Of course, Kin would not accept the possibility of Neji—or any man for that matter—not falling for her charm and beautiful features. So, she persisted on until her angry outburst became routine.

"Is something wrong?" Kabuto asked her; a hint of mirth behind glass rimmed eyes.

Kin glared at him. "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SEDUCE HIM WHEN HE ISN'T EVEN INTERESTED IN WOMEN?!" she practically shouted.

Kabuto frowned at her outburst and gave her a look that clearly told her he would not put up with her yelling. Seeing the disapproving look the grey-haired medic sent her, Kin lowered her voice. "I don't understand why you don't give this job to Kimimaro. He certainly has the looks to make even that cold idiot fall for him."

This time Kabuto didn't hold back the smile that tugged at his lips. "You've seen Kimimaro's social skills. I highly doubt if he's ever even kissed anyone." Kabuto tried to picture it, but his mind turned blank. The mere idea of Kimimaro trying to seduce anyone was laughable. No, Kimimaro would simply not do. "Besides, I don't think Neji is rejecting you because you're a female, but simply because you're not that red-head. I do believe our little pawn has fallen in love."

Kin only stared at him, clearly not understanding his words. "What do you mean because I'm not that stupid little boyfriend of his?!" She could not believe that Neji would actually prefer that disgusting creature to her. It was just impossible.

"It's really quite easy to comprehend," Kabuto told her in a tone that would be better suited when talking to a small child. "Neji has fallen for that Gaara character and anyone else is simply a nuisance to him. In other words, you can't seduce him because he isn't even sparing you glance."

"WHAT!?" Kin shrieked.

As he thought, Kin didn't take the news well, so Kabuto waited till she finished the little tantrum she was having before informing her that she needn't waste her efforts anymore—it was time to execute Plan B.

Kin seethed in rage, obviously not happy with the news, and without preamble spun around on her heels and walked out of the office making sure to slam the door on her way out.

Kabuto simply smiled at her childish attitude as he heard the faint click of her heels as she left.

In a good mood, Kabuto gathered the papers he had been reading when Kin had made her dramatic entrance, and after making sure he had all the reports, he left the office—he needed time to prepare.

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"I can't believe he's making me do this," Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth.

After stupidly reminding Naruto of the bet, Sasuke had dreaded what the blonde would make him do, so he had prepared for the worst case scenario. Whatever Naruto made him do he was sure he could handle it like the Uchiha he was…but nothing could have prepared him fore THIS!!!

When Naruto had first told him what he wanted of him, Sasuke had been speechless while a grinning Naruto simply watched as his composure crumpled at the mere prospect. Luckily, his brain didn't fail him and he used it to its full potential as he tried to find a way out of the situation.

However, the blonde wouldn't change his mind. No matter what the Uchiha proposed, Naruto would simply not budge.

He couldn't believe Naruto was so stubborn. He wasn't even fazed when he had blatantly told him that he, Sasuke Uchiha, had given his word that he would do ANYTHING coughs SEX coughs that Naruto told him. It was the chance of a lifetime. AND WHAT HAD THE STUPID DOBE TOLD HIM.

"We can always do **_that_** later, besides this will be much more entertaining."

Sasuke had almost punched him, ready to kick his ass but refrained from doing so—it wouldn't help his cause if he jumped the stupid blonde. Who knew what else Naruto might throw in the already embarrassing challenge?

So that's how the young Uchiha now found himself backstage of the school auditorium listening to the principle's speech at the school assembly.

"Well, that's all I have to say about the matter," Iruka finished. "The last thing we have for you today is a special performance by one of your fellow peers," he informed the assembly of students, who only groaned at the news. They just wanted it to be over already.

With those words of introduction, Iruka stepped away from the student's line of sight, and stood just inside the backstage waiting for Sasuke to begin.

A week ago when Naruto had burst into his office dragging along a very pissed off Uchiha, he had been suspicious of the blonde's actions, and after Naruto told him the reason for his sudden appearance, his suspicions had only increased. As Naruto blabbered on, Iruka looked at the young Uchiha, silently asking him if he was actually going to do what Naruto was saying he would do. To his surprise, Sasuke had said nothing to counteract the blonde's words. So Iruka listened to Naruto's proposal, and seeing as Sasuke had no objections, he allowed the raven-haired boy the opportunity to display his talents to his peers. However, when the lights illuminated the young Uchiha, Iruka staggered at the sight.

Naruto had definitely left this part out in his explanation.

As soon as the curtain lifted, the stage was darkened as all the lights were turned off; seconds later, a single beam of light illuminated the stage along with the young Uchiha.

Raven locks framed his face bringing out his onyx eyes as his jet-black hair fell down under the black western hat he wore. The hat was tipped low so that his eyes were barely visible and accentuated his sleek jaw line as well as his immaculate features.

The entire student body gasped and snapped up in shock, leaning forward in their seats as they recognized the lone figure on the stage.

Sasuke stood under the light beam wearing a full out cowgirl outfit along with a leather belt that held a gun holster that enveloped a fake weapon. He wore a tight leather vest and skirt that clung to every curve and dip of his well-toned body. The entire outfit was black and a pair of black heeled boots completed it.

"_An Uchiha always executes his plan flawlessly,"_ Sasuke told himself as he smirked at the gapping audience.

If he was stuck doing this, then he would be damn sure he did it to the best of his ability. Cursing his boyfriend one more time for making him do this, Sasuke brought up his right hand which held a small microphone. A moment later, the loud speakers in the auditorium emitted a static noise indicating that they had been turned on.

The loud sound served to snap some students out of their momentary stupor and some even managed to tear their eyes away from the scantily clad Uchiha to look at their neighbor silently asking them what was going on.

One such student was a short red-head who sat between his boyfriend and blonde friend.

Gaara looked at Naruto and noted his grinning mouth and glittering sapphire eyes. Seeing a look of absolutely mirth plastered on the blonde's face, Gaara instantly put two and two together, but before he could question his friend the opening melody of a song echoed throughout the auditorium. The red-head swiftly turned his eyes back to the stage just in time to see Sasuke begin to sing along to Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

"_So this is what you made him do,"_ Gaara thought as he watched the show, not wanting to miss a second of the Uchiha's performance.

Still smirking at the audience Sasuke began in a coquettish tone.

**_Let's go girls, come on_—**the entire audience gawked at his flirtatious tone.

**_I'm going out tonight--I'm feelin' alright_**

**_Gonna let it all hang out_—**he tore off the black leather vest he was wearing leaving him in a skin-tight fishnet shirt.

**_Wanna make some noise--really raise my voice_**

**_Yeah, I wanna scream and shout_—**the entire female population shouted in encouragement.

**_No inhibitions--make no conditions_—**he shook his finger flirtatiously toward the audience as dozens of girls swooned at the gesture.

_**Get a little outta line**_

_**I ain't gonna act politically correct**_

**_I only wanna have a good time_—**with his free hand, he grabbed the black hat that lay snuggly on his head and in one smooth and sexy motion, threw it toward the audience. Hundreds of girls tore through the rows of seats in a mad frenzy to reach the discarded western hat; many fights broke out.

_**The best thing about being a woman**_

**_Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)_—**he smiled looking straight at Naruto as he began to execute a series of quick steps; the blonde gawked and Sasuke smirked sending the girls swooning from the over stimulation.

**_Oh, oh, oh,_—**both Neji and Gaara gapped at Sasuke's high pitch—**_go totally crazy--forget I'm a lady_**

**_Men's shirts--short skirts_—**he pulled on his own short skirt and looked at the audience in feigned innocence.

**_Oh, oh, oh, really go wild--yeah, doin' it in style_—**he crouched down, and half the students were surprised that the skirt didn't rip from how tight it was.

**_Oh, oh, oh, get in the action--feel the attraction_—**he swiftly sprang up again and executed a few more steps as he sang the last few lines.

**_Color my hair--do what I dare_**

**_Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free--yeah, to feel the way I feel_—**he stopped his movements and laid his free hand on his hip. Looking at the audience with an air of confidence, he said the next line.

**_Man! I feel like a woman!_ **

As the melody played once again, the entire audience just stared at him mesmerized, not even blinking lest they lose a precious second of the Uchiha's performance.

**_The girls need a break--tonight we're gonna take_**

_**The chance to get out on the town**_

**_We don't need romance--we only wanna dance_—**he moved his hips suggestively; the girls screeched with giddiness.

**_We're gonna let our hair hang down_—**he ran a hand through his sleek raven locks.

_**The best thing about being a woman**_

**_Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)_ —**the girls began to shout their enthusiasm as they cheered him on.

**_Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy--forget I'm a lady_**

**_Men's shirts--short skirts_—**once again he pulled on his own short skirt and aimed an innocent look at the audience that clearly said "molest me" (at least in their minds -).

**_Oh, oh, oh, really go wild--yeah, doin' it in style_—**he moved his hips to the music as he continued on with the song.

**_Oh, oh, oh, get in the action--feel the attraction_**

**_Color my hair--do what I dare_—**he tugged on the raven locks that framed his sculpted face.

**_Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free--yeah, to feel the way I feel_—**his pale hand ran down his toned stomach as he said the next line, capturing the eyes of everyone as he did so.

**_Man! I feel like a woman!_**

_**The best thing about being a woman**_

**_Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)_—**he winked at the audience; girls fell down by the dozens with massive nosebleeds.

**_Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy--forget I'm a lady_**

**_Men's shirts--short skirts_—**as he sang the rest of the verse, he slowly lifted the skirt revealing a generous amount of leg, but before he reached his crotch he let the end of the skirt slip out of his hand and the material fell back in place to the disappointment of many, both male and female.

**_Oh, oh, oh, really go wild--yeah, doin' it in style_**

**_Oh, oh, oh, get in the action--feel the attraction_**

**_Color my hair--do what I dare_**

**_Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free--yeah, to feel the way I feel_**

**_Man! I feel like a woman!_—**he sang the last verse with a little more enthusiasm than the last time to the joy of many audience members.

_**I get totally crazy**_

_**Can you feel it**_

**_Come, come, come on baby_—**gesturing toward the audience to come join him, the teachers who were near the front had to stop the dozens of girls who took him up on his offer and literally ran to the stage; Sasuke smirked as the teachers fought back the swarm of locus that tried to reach the stage to try and molest him.

**_I feel like a woman!_**

The music stopped and he bowed, and again many of the students were left perplexed as to how the skirt did not rip by the constraint he put on it.

After bowing to the audience, the single beam of light went out and the room was left in darkness once again. It was so pitch black that even the swarm of fangirls stopped their attempts to reach him seeing as they couldn't see where they or he was at the moment. A few seconds later the light was turned on again, but to the utter disappointment of everyone, the principle stood in the middle of the stage—Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

Too disappointed with the Uchiha's abrupt departure, no one noticed as three boys swiftly made their way out of the aisles and toward the backstage.

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"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"" Naruto laughed as he literally rolled on the ground trying to contain his giggles. "You make a great WOMAN, Sasuke," he told his raven-haired boyfriend.

"Shut up, Idiot!" Sasuke growled out as he pulled off the skin-tight fish net shirt. He'd be damned if he would wear the stupid ass outfit a second longer than he needed too.

"If you're not going to help me take this shit off, then leave," he told Naruto, anger lacing his words. Naruto paid no heed to his obvious bad mood, and wiping the tears from his eyes, he got off the floor to help Sasuke with his clothes.

"Damn, how did you get this skirt on?" Naruto question as he struggled to pull the material off his boyfriend.

Sasuke's eye twitched. As if he would tell Naruto what he had to do to get the offending cloth on him. He would rather eat dirt than reveal to the blonde that he had to use a great amount of lotion in order to get his hips slick enough to slip the leather skirt on.

"Forget it, just grab a pair of scissors and cut it off," Sasuke told him, as he tried to take off the high-heeled boots with no success.

"You know, you really do make a nice chick," Gaara said a few feet away where he and Neji had been observing their two best-friends for the last five minutes.

"Shut it, Sabaku," Sasuke growled.

Gaara smirked. "The fact that you're in the backstage of the school's auditorium, wearing only a miniskirt with high-heeled boots, takes all the intimidation out of your threat Uchiha" Gaara pointed out.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara. "You better keep your boyfriend in line Neji, before I do it for you," Sasuke hissed.

Neji raised an eyebrow at his friend, while Gaara gave the Uchiha his come-and-get-me smirk.

"You don't think I'll actually let you touch what's mine do you Sasuke," Neji told him to the satisfaction of the red-head, "but I'll keep him busy for a while," Neji said with a sigh as he spun Gaara around and crushed their lips together, effectively keeping him occupied for the time being.

"Got them," Naruto said as he ran back in the room with a pair of scissors in his left hand.

"Children shouldn't run with scissors, Dobe."

Naruto glared at him, "Don't make me throw you out to the front stage," Naruto threatened, "there's still hoards of girls out there just waiting to catch a glimpse of you."

Sasuke literally shuddered at the thought. Those girls would tear him limb from limb.

"Hurry up and help me," he said, fuming at fact that Naruto got the upper hand—this time.

Ginning at Sasuke's words, Naruto dropped to his knees in front of him. Sasuke was much taller thanks to the high-heeled boots he was still wearing, but Naruto paid no mind and happily began to snip through the leather material.

"There all better," Naruto said as he literally peeled the material off his boyfriend.

"Your impeccable choice of fashion has done wonders for my brother's looks," a familiar voice said.

Sasuke instantly froze in place as he recognized his brother's voice.

"Itachi, what are you doing here," Sasuke growled, as he glared dagger at his older brother.

Itachi shifted his eyes away from the digital camera he was currently holding up, recording the scene in front of him like he had recorded Sasuke's entire performance.

"I came to see you," he told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sasuke's eye made another involuntary twitch as Itachi smiled at him; still continuing to record him.

"YOU TOLD HIM," Sasuke yelled down at the blonde who was still on his knees in front of him.

"He asked me," Naruto defended himself. "It's not like I went up to him and volunteered the information."

"You look like a prostitute," Itachi observed.

This time, as Sasuke's eye twitched, he was unable to stop the motion for a whole minute. He silently fumed, but refrained himself from exploding. Though he would never admit it out loud, Itachi was right.

He was currently wearing only a pair of black underwear, since he couldn't really have worn boxers underneath the short leather skirt, and the only other thing that clad his body was a pair of black heeled-boots, and it didn't help that he was towering over his very clothed boyfriend.

"Itachi," he said, using all his will power not to scream, "turn off that damn camera this instant."

Itachi smirked. "No."

Seeing that Sasuke was about to go ballistic, Naruto asked Itachi to turn off the digital camera. Thankfully, Itachi heeded the blonde's words, and shut the camera.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay here and embarrass you, I have to get going," Itachi told his younger brother. "Oh, before I forget, your tickets arrived today," Itachi told him.

"What tickets?" Naruto curiously asked.

"We'll talk about it when get home," Sasuke told his brother, who nodded in acknowledgment before he left, making sure to secure the digital footage he had taped.

"Sasuke, what was he talking about?" Naruto asked him.

Evading his question, Sasuke answered with a question of his own. "Where are Neji and Gaara?"

"Huh…"

Naruto peered around the seemly deserted backstage, and scratched his head in puzzlement. _Where is Gaara?"_ he asked himself, but he soon found the answer to his own question as he noticed Gaara and Neji near the corner of the stage fervently making out.

"Get a room you two," he yelled at them.

In between kisses, he heard Neji's muttered response, "If you'd leave, then we'd have an entire auditorium to ourselves."

However, the small pause, allowed Gaara to regain his mind, and swiftly pushed Neji away from him.

Neji glared back at Naruto, clearly not appreciating his interruption. Naruto only rolled his eyes, silently congratulating himself from saving his friend's virginity for the moment. Honestly, it was becoming a constant battle, trying to save Gaara from the clutches of Neji's corrupting hands. It was down-right wearing him out.

By the time the blonde turned his attention back to Sasuke, the raven-haired teen was already wearing his regular MEN'S clothes that were VERY comfortable, and did not require OBSCENE amounts of lotion in order to get them on.

"Let's go" Sasuke said, as he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist nudged him forward, while he leaned down and captured his lips in a chaste kiss that soon turned heated. He kept the blonde in place until he was sure Naruto was far gone in the mind-blowing kiss, before abruptly releasing him.

Satisfied that he had turned the blonde into putty, Sasuke walked toward the exit; heading back to class. Neji and Gaara followed him, as Naruto's dazed form, slowly but surely followed behind them.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"Neji have you taken your shot?" Hiashi asked his nephew, a little concerned. Earlier that day, Hiashi had checked the logs and noticed that Neji had yet to take his medication even though his time to take it was fast approaching.

"I was just going down to the lab," Neji answered him.

Hiashi smiled at him. "I'll go with you."

Neji said nothing, as his uncle walked with him down to the lab that was located inside the Hyuuga compound. It was supposed to be a family hospital, where only Hyuuga's were attended, but to Neji it was little more than a lab where they stored hundreds of vials of the same medication. The very medication Neji was about to receive.

Hiashi walked with him inside and talked to him about the day's events as a medic of the Hyuuga family, who was also a Hyuuga, prepared the shot.

"Okay, Neji," the medic said in a pleasant voice as if this was an everyday occurrence, which he guessed it probably was seeing as how many Hyuuga's needed the medication. "If you'll hold out your arm out for me."

Neji knew the routine, and immediately stuck out his hand, never taking his eyes off his uncle as the medic stuck the needle inside his flesh and emptied the medication into his system.

"And were done," the medic told him, giving him a sweet smile.

Never changing expressions, Neji politely thanked the man, and excused himself from his uncle.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

DING.DONG.

Gaara waited for the Hyuuga's butler to answer the door and let him in.

"Is Neji home?" he asked the butler as the man lead him to the parlor.

He had thought about calling Neji in order to ask if it was okay to come over, but seeing as he left his house in too much of a hurry to remember to grab his cell phone, he was unable to call. But he didn't think it was a big deal since Neji had repeatedly told him that he didn't need to call him in order to visit him.

"Let me go find him," the butler answered, but before he had a chance to search for the young Hyuuga, Hiashi entered the parlor, and spotted him.

"Gaara, it's good to see you," he said with a smile.

"Uhh, good to see you as well," he said nervously. He was never good with small talk.

"Are you looking for Neji?" he asked him.

"Uh, yes."

"We'll go ahead and see him. He's in his room right now, though I think he's feeling a little sick since he got his shot today," Hiashi told him.

"I don't want to bother him if he's feeling sick," Gaara tried to explain, not wanting to intrude on Neji.

Hiashi smiled at the teen's obvious panic. No wonder Neji fell for him. The boy was absolutely adorable when he was nervous. "I'm sure he'll appreciate your visit. Who knows, it might just be what he needs."

Trying not to act like a total social dunce, which he sadly was, Gaara thanked Neji's uncle before walking off toward the younger Hyuuga's room.

When he reached the familiar room, he knocked on the door, before entering.

As soon as he entered the room, pale-lavender eyes immediately locked on his own teal colored ones.

Neji sat on a chair next to his desk, and looked at him in speculation.

"Your uncle said you might like some company, since you were feeling a little sick after taking a shot," Gaara told him.

"Did he call you?" Neji asked.

Gaara shook his head. "I came to visit you."

Neji let his mouth curve in a smile. "I won't be much company," he said in apology.

"How are you feeling?" Gaara asked him, clearly remembering the last time Neji was sick.

"Don't worry. I'm just a little nauseous. That's all."

Gaara frowned. Temari always made Kankuro stay in bed whenever he was sick, yet Neji was currently sitting on a chair as if he was fine—bed-rest was the last thing on his mind.

"We can go to the gardens outsid—What are you doing?" Neji asked in confusion as Gaara crossed the room and effortlessly picked him up off the chair. Strolling toward the Hyuuga's bed, Gaara gently laid him on the bed.

As soon as Gaara put him down, Neji sat up about to protest only to have Gaara's ivory hand push him back down.

Neji frowned in annoyance but stayed in place as Gaara went to his closet and rummaged through it looking for something. When he returned back to the bed, he was carrying a small blanket that had been Neji's when he was a little kid.

"You need rest," Gaara told him, noticing Neji's frown.

"I said I was feeling fine," Neji told him a little annoyed.

Gaara looked at him, and noticed his pale skin was even paler than usual. He was definitely not fine, but he probably wouldn't stay in bed unless he watched him. Resigning himself to his fate, Gaara propped a pillow on the headboard of the bed and sat down, leaning on the pillow. Before Neji could question him, he grabbed another pillow that was within arms length and placed it on his lap looking at Neji in expectation.

Neji knew what Gaara was asking and even though he hated bed-rest (it made him feel weak), he let the red-head have his way, and laid his head on the pillowed lap.

Once he made himself comfortable, Neji looked up at Gaara who was staring down at him. Theirs eyes locked and pale-lavender drowned in teal.

Before he knew what he was doing, Neji slowly reached up with his hands, and gently cupped the familiar face. He brushed the rosy lips with his index finger and watched in fascination as Gaara's usual teal eyes turned a soft blue as he watched him with an intensity that made him shiver.

Using his hands, he gently brought Gaara's head down until their breathes mingled, and for a moment they stayed that way until Neji closed the distance between them and gently nibbled on the familiar rosy lips that made him purr with want. Neji pulled the red-head closer to him and delved in the sweet taste that was Gaara; losing himself in the others softness. After a few more kisses, Gaara lifted his head much to Neji's disappointment.

"You need to rest," he told him.

Neji only rolled his eyes. "I told you. I'm fine."

Gaara ignored his words, and instead, began to stroke the silky chocolate locks. He ran his hands through the Hyuuga's long hair, and watched as Neji closed his eyes in pleasure as he literally purred at the contact; soaking in the warm feelings Gaara produced inside of him by the simple gesture.

He didn't protest again, and for the next two hours both boys laid on the bed, one caressing brunette locks, while the other kept his eyes closed as feelings of love washed through him.

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"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Hiashi asked the red-head for the second time.

Gaara declined the offer once again.

After he had left Neji's slumbering form, Gaara had made his way downstairs, hoping to leave unnoticed, but as luck should have it, he had encountered Neji's uncle.

Noting that the young teen was ready to leave, Hiashi lead him to the entrance.

"Thank you for keeping him company," Hiashi told a surprised Gaara.

"There's no need to thank me," Gaara told him, a little embarrassed.

Hiashi only smiled, and opened the door for him.

Grateful, Gaara stepped outside and said his good-bye.

As he walked to his car, Gaara's mind was on a certain long-haired Hyuuga, who at the moment lay sleeping in his bed. _"I forgot to ask him what type of shot they gave him,"_ Gaara thought. _"Last time he got sick, Hinata told me he had forgotten to take his medicine."_ Gaara frowned at the thought. _"Is Neji sick?"_

However, before he could contemplate the question, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Leaving so soon," Kin cooed.

Gaara said nothing and continued heading toward his car, but to his annoyance, Kin followed him.

"What happened? Did Neji finally get tired of you and throw you out?" She asked in mock concern.

Gaara looked at her with a blank expression, he would be damned if he would sink to her level—he refused to get angry.

Taking his silence as confirmation, Kin burst out in a fit of giggles. "So, he did dump you."

Unable to stand it, Gaara actually spoke, but kept his voice level.

"Unlike you, I don't need to use tricks to get what I want. After months of trying to get **my** boyfriend's attention, I'm surprised you still think you have a chance."

Kin glared at him with spite.

"It must be embarrassing to openly flaunt yourself only to be utterly rejected—he doesn't even spare you a glance."

"Shut up you little freak!" she hissed, clearly remembering Kabuto's words.

Gaara smirked. He had hit a nerve. "Now is that anyway to treat someone who can crush you with a few choice words to the right people?" Gaara tsked at her, and enjoyed the site of her white skin slowly turning a beet red with rage.

"You should count yourself lucky that I didn't inform anyone that is was you who locked me inside that closet."

"Like they would believe you over me," Kin drawled.

Gaara only smirked, as he grabbed his keys and unlocked his car.

"A word of advice," he said, turning toward Kin, "I won't tolerate you near **my boyfriend **any longer. It was fun at first, but it's just pathetic now," Gaara told her with a hint of mirth in his voice as he slipped in his car.

Kin fumed at his words, but kept her composure.

"I'm done with Neji," she stated.

Gaara kept his emotionless mask in place, but a hint of disbelief showed through.

Kin leaned on the driver's window, much to Gaara's annoyance, and continued. "Your stupid threats don't scare me, but as it just so happens, I no longer have any interest in Neji." She smirked. "But a word of advice," she said mockingly, "he won't be yours for much longer, and when that happens, I'm going to be there and bask in your misery. I'm going to enjoy—"

Gaara pushed the up button for the driver's window, and effectively shut the woman up by closing the window in her face mid-sentence.

The curses she aimed his way as he drove out of the Hyuuga Mansion were music to his ears.

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"You're leaving?" Naruto repeated. Unable to get past the news Sasuke had just told him.

After Itachi had informed him that his pair of plane tickets had arrived, he knew he could no longer put off telling Naruto. So, he had invited the blonde over to his house in order to tell him.

Sasuke had explained to him that he was going to accompany Itachi on a four month trip to Italy as they inspected the company's European Branch. It was late March and he would be leaving within the first week of April, and would be back late into summer.

"It will only be for four months, Dobe," Sasuke told him, adding the familiar pet name.

"You're going to miss prom," Naruto said.

Sasuke sighed, knowing how excited Naruto had been about the event.

"We'll go to next year's prom. Besides, that's the most important one seeing as it'll be our Senior Prom."

"You mean it," Naruto excitedly asked.

"Of course I do Dobe," Sasuke said and watched as Naruto beamed. The Uchiha couldn't help but pull the shorter boy to him and give him a quick peck on the lips. Naruto was just so easy to please, and when he was happy, his entire demeanor shined. He still wondered how he had ended up with someone so full of light and laughter.

"Okay, then," Naruto said. "I'll be here waiting for your return."

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at his answer. He had someone to come home to. That simple notion filled him with a warm feeling he was still too inexperience to call love.

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"I can't believe your abandoning us at the end of the second semester," one of the students asked their art teacher the next day, following the school assembly.

"I already told you that the only reason I was even teaching this class was because it was the easiest way to finish my hours for community service," Kakashi told his art class. "And I specifically explained that I won't be abandoning you. I will still be teaching three days per week."

Kakashi looked at the class as they digested what he was telling them, and at the back of the class he noticed a student's raised hand.

"Yes Kiba," Kakashi said, motioning him to ask his question.

"I was just wondering what the heck you did that you got hundreds of hours for community service?" Kiba asked.

Kakashi smiled. "I got a speeding ticket."

The class looked at him in disbelief. There was just no way he would've been given that many hours for a simple speeding ticket.

"That's it?!" Kiba yelled, clearly confused.

"Well, that and I was too busy to take care of it until eventually they made me go to court." At this point Kakashi smiled which was evident by one moon crescent eye. "I probably shouldn't have been late to all my court appearances. The judged finally had enough of it and assigned me an insane amount of hours of community service."

"So if your not an art teacher then what do you do?" a curious Naruto asked Kakashi. The rest of the class looked at him in expectation curious as to what their art teacher really did.

Kakashi was not about to answer the blonde's question, and was happily delighted when he heard the bell ring indicating the end of class.

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"Have you put all the papers together?" Orochimaru asked his most loyal servant.

"I have everything ready," Kabuto answered. "I can send the envelope as soon you wish."

Orochimaru smiled a creepy smile. "Send it immediately."

Kabuto nodded in acknowledgement as he watched Orochimaru; ready to scribble down in his notepad anything else his master might need.

"Hyuuga Neji will have a great surprise next time he opens his mail," Orochimaru said aloud to no one in particular.

Kabuto inclined his head, knowing the truth of those words. "Will you need anything else for your trip to Italy?" he asked.

"No. You've taken care of everything," Orochimaru said; smiling at the grey-haired medic. "I'm entrusting Neji to you while I take care of Sasuke," the golden-eyed male told him.

"I am honored that you would allow me such an important part in your plans," Kabuto responded in his usual humble manner.

"I trust you above everyone, Kabuto. And you are the only one capable of taking on this role. Your medical background will be the coin that will tip the scales in our favor when it comes to dealing with the Hyuuga."

Kabuto inclined his head. Yes, his medical skills were key in Neji's cooperation.

"While you deal with the Hyuuga, I will take care of Sasuke." Orochimaru said as he picked up the business proposal he had been looking over.

Even with their new found companions, the pawns he had chosen would be easy to manipulate, and he knew exactly what buttons to push.

It wouldn't be long now.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"How are you feeling Kimimaro?" Kabuto asked later that evening.

"The same as ever," a soft voice replied.

"Is the medicine helping you?" the medic asked, curious to know if his new concoction had worked.

"I feel a lot better," Kimimaro answered truthfully.

Kabuto scribbled down some information on Kimimaro's medical file. "You are free to go," Kabuto dismissed him as he finished writing the last of his notes.

Kimimaro walked out of the lab and made his way out of the building; away from the unwanted pity.

Once outside, he looked around and found that he didn't have anywhere to go. He was alone, like he'd been for most of his life.

Not knowing what else to do, he decided to take a walk, and let his feet lead the way.

A few hours later, the eighteen year old sat at a local café that was fast filling with people as dusk approached. It seemed the small café received many customers in the evening. Feeling a little uncomfortable with so many people around him, Kimimaro decided to finish his tea quickly so he could pay and get out of the social atmosphere.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" a young man around his age asked him.

Kimimaro looked at his smiling form, and not knowing what to say in such a situation, he did the only thing he could think of and gestured to the seat across from him; silently inviting the teen to sit.

Getting the message, Sai sat down across the white-haired teen. "My name is Sai, what's yours?" he asked, making small talk.

When Sai had arrived at his favorite café, he was a little miffed that it was so crowded, and was about to order his drink to go when he had spotted the teen in front of him. The male had instantly intrigued him, and seeing the look of panic in his eyes as more and more people filled the small café, Sai decided to introduce himself. It was rare to find such lonely eyes on a pretty face; he wanted to erase the loneliness reflected in those soft blue orbs.

"Kimimaro," the teen murmured.

"Nice to meet you," Sai told him, aiming another smile his way. "Were you waiting for someone?" Sai pried, wanting to know the reason he was alone.

"No," the other said as he finished his tea and stood up. "I have to get going," he said in apology as he strode toward the door, but as he passed Sai, his arm was caught in a light hold. Surprised at the other's action Kimimaro turned to him in question, his eyes laced in anger.

Sai looked straight into his eyes, ignoring the anger reflected off the pools of sky blue, and spoke.

"I can see the loneliness in your eyes," he said softly as he watched the sky blue eyes widen in surprise. "You don't have to be alone," Sai told him, as he slipped his business card in the other's hand.

Kimimaro looked at the pristine piece of paper, and back at the owner of the parchment. He gently pulled on his arm and to his relief the black-haired teen let the appendage slip through his hands.

Free from the other's grasp, Kimimaro turned toward the exit, never looking back.

He didn't know why he decided to intrude on the other's space, nor why he thought he should say those words to him. Maybe it was because he knew the feeling of loneliness, was occasionally plagued by it even now.

And when he saw the white-haired teen leaving, his limbs moved of their own accord and next thing he knew he had grabbed the other's pale hand, effectively preventing him from leaving.

Sai understood loneliness more than most, and knew the constant ache that assaulted one's being until they felt that they would go insane from the feeling. He had seen the same ache in those sky blue eyes, and had been loathed to leave the poor teen without some from of comfort.

He himself had wished for words of comfort when he was plagued with the desolate feeling. So, he gave the white-haired teen the words he had hoped someone would give him and watched as he rejected them.

However, as he watched Kimimaro's retreating form, he noticed the strain in his fingers as they clutched the business card he had given him.

Maybe they could both find comfort in each other.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

So, there it is. I hope you like it.

So, the wheels are turning as the new characters are revealed though what part they will play in the new developments is still unclear. In the next couple of chapters the story will reach the first climax as Orochimaru's plans are revealed and each teen makes his choice. What will happen?

Until next time…

Reviews are appreciated. Thanks. ;)


	10. Ch 10: Of My Own Free Will

A/N:

This chapter has a lot going on, and there is a lot of change of scenes compared with my other chapters. Hope you enjoy it. Oh, and before I forget, I just wanted to remind everyone that this is not a highschool fic although it might seem like it. This is probably a good place to remind people since it will come into play very soon.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far. I enjoyed reading your comments. Hope you enjoy reading this next installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**Of My Own Free Will**_

Eyes glazed over with shock, Hyuuga Neji sat in his desolate room. Trembling hands harshly held an envelope that he had received from the butler half an hour before.

"It can't be…" he solemnly whispered to the empty room as images of his father ran through his head. "Hiashi would never have ordered such a thing…would he?"

His hands trembled as they harshly grasped the envelope. He looked at the letter in his hands and re-read it once more.

_A life lost, a life saved. Ah, to have such a power, but who is it that controls who lives and who dies, who shall take their last breathe and who shall be given the gift of life with a single gulp of air? Most would not hesitate to answer such a question with a single word, a single ideal—God. For surely who else would have the power of life and death? _

_The single answer that resonates through millions of minds when such a question is asked of them…But I wonder, are you part of that mass? Does that same answer resolutely resonate through your mind? Or, does another response echo through your thoughts disturbing the harmony of the masses?_

_Have you ever endured sleepless nights cursing the world for its cruelty, who, not satisfied with taking your mother from you at such a young age, greedily ripped your beloved father from your grasp?_

_Why?_

_Why **your** father? _

_Have you ever wondered why Hiashi lived and your father died? Why you had to suffer such loneliness? If not God's decision, then who's? Who could have the power to control your life by nothing more than a moment's whim? Who could imprison you in a gilded cage with the shackles of fate weighing you down, so that you have to exercise all of your power just to hold your head up and on trembling legs keep yourself from collapsing to your knees in front of your jailor? _

_Who is it that holds you captive in that hollow cage, though beautifully crafted is nothing more than a cheap imitation of beauty…nothing more than a concession for the freedom that has been cruelly ripped away from you? _

…_but I wonder…has your captor so utterly torn your wings that the mere thought of flight has long since vanished from your mind's eye? _

_If you would but accept a humble helping hand, I can help you break free of that cage and let you soar through the heavens. _

_Why should you live a fate carved out by the very person who killed your only family, the very person who breathes the air that rightfully belongs to your father…the brother who he killed with a simple command…_

Neji put down the letter, not wanting to re-read the rest of it again—once had been more than enough.

White knuckles blindly clasped the letter harshly. It took all of his control not to scream out in pain as images of his father's smiling form flashed through his mind.

Slowly unclenching his hand, he placed the letter aside and reached for the envelope in order to pull out the rest of the papers.

The Evidence.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"Naruto it's only been a week since Sauke left," Gaara logically pointed out as his friend's dejected form slumped over as he sat on the shore of a large lake he had spent his summers swimming in.

"I know Gaara," Naruto told him, looking out toward the lake; his usual explosion of energy gone from his demeanor.

Gaara sighed as he sat down next to his friend, a silent companion. "If you keep thinking on it, you'll only drive yourself into depression," he told his friend. "Besides, you don't want to let the Uchiha think that you fell apart without him; show him that you can have fun while he's away."

Hearing his friend's words, Naruto suddenly stood up, eyes bright with life, kicking some sand as he did so. "You're right!" He said with his old enthusiasm. "I can't let that bastard think that I can't enjoy myself without him!" Naruto exclaimed as he grabbed Gaara's hand, lifting him up with a swift pull.

"We're going bowling!" he stated, while his red-headed friend tried to struggle against his grasp.

"Let go of me, Naruto," Gaara said with annoyance.

The blonde ignored his words as he dragged him away from the lake and headed toward the center of Konoha, ready to prove that he could live perfectly well without the bastard.

Rolling his eyes at Naruto's quick change of mood, Gaara let himself be dragged by the hyperactive blonde.

Neither knew that the red-head's words would prove to be more meaningful than Gaara ever intended.

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"Sasuke, you should really go out and enjoy the city," Itachi told his brother, who was sitting at his desk reading over the companies accounts. It had been week since they had arrived in Italy and Sasuke remained locked in his hotel room looking over the companies various account statements.

Sure they were here to inspect the European Branch of their company, but this was ridiculous. For the past week, all Sasuke ever did was attend board meeting after board meeting, sometimes even skipping lunch as he looked over the dozens of proposals that had yet to be glanced at; and when he was not at a meeting, or reading over the company's documents, he was working on improving proficiency in departments he thought needed a change.

The only reason Itachi hadn't knocked some sense into him for pushing himself so much was because of Naruto.

Although he placed everything else as secondary when it came to proving his worth, Sasuke always made sure to block off 7 o'clock every night, even going as far as canceling a meeting with an important client, and rescheduling late meetings in order to make sure he was free at that time—the time Naruto usually called him.

The blonde always managed to relax Sasuke, keeping him from careening into exhaustion and stress.

He was glad that Naruto had such an effect on his brother, but even though the blonde's influence was keeping Sasuke level, Itachi was damn if he was going to let Sasuke spend the entire time in his room. They had four months to inspect the company, and as such, they had plenty of time to explore the city and enjoy themselves while they were there.

"I don't have time," Sasuke murmured as he flipped over the page he had been looking at.

Annoyed, Itachi walked over to his younger brother, and slipped the folder Sasuke was holding out of his hand. "You're going out," Itachi stated.

Sasuke glared at his brother, but before he could retort Itachi spoke again.

"I will not have you working yourself into exhaustion," Itachi told him, ignoring as Sasuke rolled his eyes at his statement. "Now go out and have some fun or I'll ban you from the office for an entire day."

As expected, his brother did not respond well to his threat, but the older Uchiha simply ignored all of his brother's protests and in the end, got him to agree to go out.

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Waiting outside the hotel both Uchiha's were staying at, a silver-haired young man watched as the youngest Uchiha walked out, and by he looks of him, he was none too happy.

Not caring about the Uchiha's obvious fowl mood, the young man followed the raven-haired male until they reached a nice little restaurant that many business men often ate at.

After making sure that the Uchiha was going to stay put for a while, Ukon pulled out his cell-phone and dialed the number of his employer.

After three rings, the phone was answered. "He's finally left his room, and is currently at a restaurant—Alone."

Though the silver-haired male couldn't see it, his employer smiled a wicked smile.

"Perfect."

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Sasuke sat at the small table and waited for his order to arrive. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, he looked out at the beautiful view the elegant restaurant offered.

It was breathe-taking.

Grudgingly, he mentally thanked his brother for threatening him to go out. Staying at the hotel had been getting on his nerves a little, and he was glad for the change of pace.

Ten minutes later, his order finally arrived. Thanking the waitress, Sasuke picked up his drink and took a sip before trying the food.

After he was finished with his dinner, Sasuke spent some time simply enjoying the view as he finished up his drink. Taking pleasure in the scenery, he forgot all about the problems that had been stressing him at work, and simply let his mind wander.

"Are you Uchiha Sasuke?" a voice interrupted his peace.

Looking up at the smiling face of a long-haired stranger, Sasuke responded without letting a hint of his surprise show. "I am, and who might you be?" he asked with a hint of authority mixed with politeness.

The stranger smiled. "Orochimaru. Pleasure to meet you," the man introduced himself.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

On trembling legs, Neji got up and made his way to the left side of his room where his entertainment center was located. Not sparing a glance at the range of devices, he went straight to the DVD player and slipped in the disc that had arrived with the envelope.

Neji watched the image of what he deduced was an old warehouse project onto the TV screen. By the quality of the footage and the small writing located at the bottom left of the film, Neji guessed that he was watching old footage of a security camera. From the camera's point of view, he could make out a single round-table in the middle of the warehouse, but nothing more was visible to him.

Not knowing what to make of the unchanging footage, Neji simply watched the recording, knowing something was bound to happen. And true to his thoughts, the sound of a metal door opening disrupted the silence that had, moments ago, filled the warehouse.

Someone was entering.

The young Hyuuga felt his heart clench as the image of his father confidently walked into the camera's line of sight—he was alone.

Though seeing his father in such a place was a surprise on its own, it was nothing compared to the utter confusion that took a hold of him as he heard his father's strong and steady voice announce himself as Hyuuga Hiashi—his uncle.

However, Neji had no time to question the reason behind such an alias because a response soon followed Hizashi's introduction, and another solitary figure stepped into the camera's line of sight.

To Neji's utter shock, he glimpsed a leather gun holster underneath the business suit of the unknown male when the stranger shifted the metal briefcase he was carrying to his other hand. He was sure his father noticed the item as well.

Neji did not like this at all.

"Get out," he whispered to the image of his father. "Leave."

To Neji's dismay, Hizashi and the stranger both walked up to the antique table and set their respective briefcase down.

Staring at each other for a moment, the two grabbed the other's briefcase. Taking one last look at each other, they flipped open the briefcase before them.

Unblinking pale-lavender eyes watched the entire exchange.

"I will need to test the antidote in order to make sure it's real," Hizashi stated.

"Antidote?" Neji murmured in confusion. "Does he mean—"

"It wasn't tampered with after it was stolen, the seal was not broken," the other man said, as if insulted that the Hyuuga thought he had actually tampered with the vial.

Hizashi merely gave him a blank stare. He was not concerned weather it was tampered with or not. All he cared about was weather or not all the antidote was there. They couldn't have someone outside of the Hyuuga family with a sample of their most precious secret.

"It seems all the money is here," the other said as he closed the briefcase, making sure to lock it before he walked away.

Confirming that the seal was indeed unbroken, Hizashi let the other go. No sample had been taken.

Too busy placing the antidote back into the briefcase; Hizashi didn't hear the parting words of the unknown male. However, Neji heard every word.

"Why would I tamper with the damn antidote, when it's you we want dead," the stranger murmured to himself.

"Get out. Get out. Get out," Neji began to chant as his eyes filled with unshed tears and his hands trembled with fright for his father. "Leave," he whispered as a tear ran down his left cheek.

He felt another tear fall as he watched his father begin to lock the briefcase, and with the click of the lock the metal briefcase exploded in a flash of light leaving nothing but ashes where mere moments ago Hizashi stood.

Neji stood stock still as his mind registered what had just happened. Never even noticing the river of tears that fell down his face, he reached out to touch the screen where his father's last moments had just been recorded.

Flashback

"_Neji, there was an accident on the trip and your father didn't make it."_

"_What do you mean? What happened?"_

_Neji was now worried. Where was his Daddy?_

_Crouching down to his nephew's level, Hiashi took the boy in his arms and hugged him tightly._

"_He's gone Neji. There was a bomb—and he died trying to save the rest of us. I'm so sorry Neji. We tried to stop him but—" _

_That's all Neji heard before his world fell apart, shattering into a million pieces._

_He knew what death was, his mother had been taken from him at an early age, and now his father too._

"_NO! YOU'RE LYING!" _

"_WHERE IS HE?" _

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO?"_**

_Neji struggled out of his uncle's embrace until he let him go._

_He looked at his uncle accusingly, and in a heartbroken voice he whispered, "What did you do?"_

_With those final words four year old Neji collapsed onto the mud-filled earth clutching his chest as his heart literally broke in half._

End Flashback

Neji screamed, a piercing scream that reverberated throughout the Hyuuga compound.

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"So when is Neji supposed to pick you up?" Naruto asked his friend who had just bowled a gutter ball. "He **_is_** picking you up for Prom isn't he?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Che, like I could stop him," he said as he crossed his arms and pouted.

Truth was, when Neji had asked him to Prom he had been a little shocked. He hadn't considered the possibility of the Hyuuga actually asking him, but seeing as it was Neji's Senior Prom, he should have anticipated it.

"He already planned the entire night," Gaara said with annoyance, though Naruto knew that his friend was actually thrilled with the entire thing.

"Well, I hope you two have fun," Naruto told him as Gaara smacked him on the head.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Naruto yelled, indignant at the fact that Gaara had smacked him for no reason.

"Stop being such a chick, and bowl already. It's been your turn for the last 5 minutes," Gaara said, though only a minute had actually passed.

Grumbling at Gaara's mean ways, Naruto picked up his ball and walked out to the lane.

Behind him, Gaara smiled to himself. In two weeks he and Neji would go to Prom together.

He couldn't wait.

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"So, what do you say?" Orochimaru asked the young Uchiha, patiently waiting for his answer.

"If what your saying is true, then I could surpass Itachi and become CEO of _Uchiha Enterprises_," Sasuke said more to himself than for Orochimaru's benefit.

"If you accept my terms, then I will give you the opportunity to beat your brother. I will give the chance no one ever allowed you to have, the chance to prove your worth and become more than Itachi's shadow. The chance to step into the light on your own two feet, without the added baggage of your brother's shadow. So what is your answer?" Orochimaru asked him once more.

Sasuke thought back on Orochimaru's proposal, and couldn't find any reason to refuse such an offer. It was the offer of a lifetime and only a fool would turn it down, and Uchiha Sasuke was anything but foolish, so with a shake of their hands, Sasuke sealed his fate.

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Hearing his nephew's pained scream, Hiashi immediately dropped what he was doing and ran to Neji's room.

Not bothering to knock, he blindly ran into the solemn room to find Neji's crumpled form on the ground as the young Hyuuga was literally crying his heart out as his mind kept replaying the last moments of his father's life.

Not knowing why his nephew was in such a state, Hiashi quickly took action and bent down to pick up Neji's sobbing form from the ground.

Neji immediately struggled against the foreign embrace. Hiashi reluctantly let him slip away.

"Neji, what happened? Are you okay?" he questioned his nephew.

The young Hyuuga instantly stiffened as he recognized the familiar voice of his uncle.

Flashback

"_Neji, there was an accident on the trip and your father didn't make it."_

…

"_He's gone Neji. There was a bomb—and he died trying to save the rest of us. I'm so sorry Neji. We tried to stop him but—" _

…

"**_WHAT DID YOU DO?"…_**

End Flashback

Standing away from his uncle Neji raised his head, locking eyes with him. "What did you do?" he asked him with tear-filled eyes as he looked at his uncle in confusion mixed with heart-wrenching pain.

"What do you mean?" Hiashi asked him, obviously confused with such a posed question.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Neji bit out, trying not to scream in accusation.

Taken a-back by his nephew's behavior, Hiashi became speechless.

A river of tears ran down Neji's cheeks, but he didn't notice as rage-filled eyes stayed locked on Hiashi's silent form. The silence only served to enrage the young Hyuuga further.

"**WHAT DID YOU DO?!"** he yelled out in clear accusation.

"Neji, I don't—"

"**DID MY FATHER DIE IN YOUR PLACE?!"**

Hiashi's eyes widen in shock, "Who told you—"

"**ANSWER ME!"** Neji shouted.

Hiashi looked at his nephew's tear-streaked face with sadness.

"_How long have I waited to tell him the truth?" _he asked himself as Neji's unblinking eyes never once wavered. _"Too long."_

Hiashi's shoulders slumped and he let his head fall down. It pained him to look at nephew's rage-filled eyes because he knew that Neji had every right to loathe him. After all, if it hadn't been for him, Hizashi would still be alive today.

"Yes," he whispered.

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"I'll see you later Gaara," Naruto said as he ran to his car in a hurry to get out of the rain since he didn't have his umbrella with him.

By the time Naruto had beaten Gaara for the fourth time in a row, the red-head had had enough, besides it was getting close to dinner time. So, he and Naruto paid for their games and headed out to their cars.

When Naruto looked at the pouring rain he groaned in defeat. He had left his umbrella inside his car.

Smiling at Naruto's predicament, Gaara brought out his own black umbrella knowing that Naruto was expecting him to say I-told-you-so. Gaara had specifically told his blonde friend to bring his umbrella with him since it was supposed to rain later in the day, but Naruto had waved the whole thing off saying that the weather people always lie.1

Naruto soon got his door unlocked and jumped into his car. Waving at Gaara, Naruto turned on his car and headed home.

Opening his umbrella, Gaara calmly walked up to his own car and swiftly slipped in. Once inside his car, the red-head wondered where he should go. It was Friday night and Kankuro usually hung out with his friends till midnight, and Temari was spending the night at a friend's house—again.

Not wanting to go home just yet, Gaara decided to drop by Neji's house. He would visit him for a while before going home.

Destination in mind, Gaara headed out of the parking lot, a small smile playing on his lips.

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"Sasuke, you're home rather late. I wonder what Naruto would say if I told him you were cheating on him with some mystery male in Italy," Itachi teased his brother as he hung his coat.

Sasuke said nothing, which had Itachi raising his eyebrow in question.

"Did something happen while you were out?" he asked.

Sasuke turned to him, and in a serious voice he answered. "Yes."

"Care to explain."

Sasuke looked at him and as he stood to his full height he spoke. "I want to stay in Italy…As the chief chairman of the European Branch."

The younger Uchiha kept his eyes locked on his brother's face looking for any sign that would reveal Itachi's thoughts to him. But like always, he saw only a blank face. He would see only what Itachi let him see, nothing more. It had always been that way.

Itachi looked at his brother's determined face and knew that Sasuke would fight him every step of the way if he said no. He knew his little brother inside and out.

"I assume you are aware what such a proposition entails," he coldly stated.

"I'm aware what sacrifices I will need to make," Sasuke stated, never once taking his eyes off his brother.

"You will have to write-up a statement of intent in order to present it to the board, as well as find at least one major stock-holder to stand by you," Itachi stated, knowing that Sasuke would not have enough time to compile such a document nor find such a person in the small amount of free time he would have. Itachi knew that the board would reject such a proposition if Sasuke didn't demonstrate his skills, something he couldn't do while trying to compile the necessary documentation. There was no way he could pull it off in time.

"I will present it to the board within two month's time. A valid stock-holder will be at my side at that time as well."

Sasuke saw Itachi's eyes widen by a fraction at his statement. He had surprised him. However, he was disappointed to note that Itachi quickly regained his composure and refrained from revealing anything else.

"How long have you been working on this proposal?" Itachi asked him. The tension in the room increased as Itachi's unspoken words hovered in the air—_"How long have you been working on it behind my back?"_

"I spoke with one of the companies major stock-holder's this evening and he provided me with the necessary documentation. It will take me about two months to look over the data and organize it."

"Who is this major stock-holder?" Itachi asked in a colder tone than before.

"Orochimaru."

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the name. _"You couldn't control me so you went after my little brother, Orochimaru. But I will not let you manipulate him so easily."_

He could say no, he could oppose Sasuke when he decided to present his proposal to the board, he could do many things to stop his little brother from gaining the seat he sought after…but Sasuke would hate him for it for the rest of his life.

He would never forgive him if he did such a thing.

"When you finish writing the proposal show it to me, I will decide then if any changes need to be made." Seeing his brother about to protest, Itachi looked at him harshly and continued on. "Understand this Sasuke; I will oppose you if you do not do what I ask of you."

Sasuke's protest died before he had a chance to utter it. He knew if Itachi wished too, he could stop him. Reluctantly he agreed.

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After hearing his uncle's confession, Neji ran out of his room and out of the Hyuuga Mansion, never once looking back.

Back in his nephew's room, Hiashi dropped to his knees as a single tear fell down his face, tracing the gentle curve of his cheek. A grief he had long thought had dulled with time, hit him full force as he recalled his twin brother's face.

"I have wronged you dear brother," he whispered to the empty room.

Neji ran and ran and ran until his legs burned with exhaustion and his lungs strained to gulp down much needed oxygen. Ignoring his body's protest, he kept on running disregarding the cold rain that pelted his already fatigued form.

By the time he reached a familiar lake, he could no longer discount his body's protests and fell on all fours on the muddy ground.

Too busy trying to catch his breath, Neji didn't notice as a figure approached him.

"I see you didn't take the truth too well, did you Neji."

Caught unaware, Neji swiftly whipped his head around toward the direction of the stranger's voice.

Glass-rimmed black eyes stared down at him.

"My name's Kabuto," he stranger introduced himself.

"You sent me that envelope," Neji stated rather than asked as he looked up at the other male.

Offering his hand to the young Hyuuga, Kabuto answered, "Yes."

Neji took his hand and let himself be pulled up. Once he was back on his feet he asked the question that had immediately plagued him after the stranger had introduced himself. "Why did you send me—"

Not letting the teen finish, Kabuto caught him off. "I think the better question is; what are you going to do now that you know the truth? Will you return to the home of your father's murderer or will you seek another path?" the young medic asked him.

Neji opened his mouth to respond but found that he didn't know the answer to that question.

"I'm a doctor and I can help you find a cure for the virus inside of you, the very one that kept you a prisoner in the Hyuuga Mansion and became your parents death-sentence. If you come with me, I can set you free," Kabuto offered enjoying the total vulnerability reflected across Neji's features. The Hyuuga was so far gone that he hadn't even questioned how he knew about the virus, a greatly guarded secret among the clan.

Neji watched as Kabuto turned his back and walked away, but after a few steps he stopped and turned his head toward him.

"Coming?" he asked.

Turning his back on everyone, Neji followed behind him as Kabuto made his way to a waiting limousine.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

While heading toward the Hyuuga Mansion, Gaara caught sight of what he thought was Neji running in the rain.

Stunned at the sight, it took Gaara a minute before he his brain told him to follow him. With a grace born of practice, the red-head swiftly made a U-turn in the middle of traffic and gunned the gas.

A minute later he stopped at the same lake he and Naruto had been at only hours before.

Quickly getting out of his car, Gaara looked around for Neji, too busy trying to find his boyfriend, the Sabaku didn't question what a limousine was doing parked at the lake, nor did he hear as someone silently walked up behind him.

"There he is!" he said to himself when he spotted a disheveled looking Neji talking to a gray-haired male.

"Take a good look at him because it's the last time you're going to lay eyes on him," a male's voice said from behind him.

Before Gaara could react, the unknown male hit him on the back of his head with the butt of his gun.

The unknown male quickly caught Gaara's unconscious form before he hit the pavement.

"I'm going to have some fun with you," the male said with a smirk as he called his superior for orders.

"Kimimaro, this is Kidomaru. We have a little complication here," he said as he carried Gaara's lithe form to his car.

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(1) Though the weather people are mostly always wrong, I suggest you take their advice because you feel stupid afterwards when its pouring down rain and your stuck without an umbrella because you shrugged off the weather report since _it didn't look like it was going to rain._

Stupid weather people. The one time they're actually right gets you screwed over. Okay, now that I'm done with my little rant, on with my note.

A cliff-hanger. Though I'm not quite fond of these myself, their was no other way of ending the chapter, unless you want another long-ass chapter as the Halloween one.

Next chapter will probably make you hate Neji, or Kabuto depending how you take it, just a little bit and you will find out what happens to Gaara.

Until next time…

Reviews are appreciated. Thanks. ;)


	11. Ch 11: A Breath in the Dark

A/N:

I have decided to break this story into two acts. Act I, which tells the story of Gaara as he tries to put himself back to together after suffering years of mental and physical abuse from his father. This chapter is the conclusion of that tale. The sequel, Act II, will tell the story after five years have passed.

Oh, and before I forget, even though I rated this story as M, it is actually supposed to be rated T, since I decided to put it in two Act's. Sorry for the confusion. Also, Act II will definitely be rated M for sexual content.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far. I enjoyed reading your comments. Hope you enjoy reading this last installment, and now on with the story.

Warning: This is a maleXmale fic. It is rated M for language, and adult themes. This is an AU fic, and characters are mostly OOC.

Neji X Gaara

Sasuke X Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future.

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_**A Breath in the Dark**_

"Such a waste," Kidomaru murmured to himself as he became an audience to one of Kimimaro's attacks. While his Captain was giving him orders over the phone, his illness had unexpectedly flared up and he had dropped the cell phone as he coughed up clots of blood. Still on the line, Kidomaru heard as Kin tried to calm him down. Not wanting to hear the rest of the drama, Kidomaru hung up and looked at the back-seat at his unconscious captive.

"You're lucky Kimimaro ordered me not to play with you…." He sighed. "It would have been fun hearing you scream my name as I took—"

RIING! RING! RING!

Kidomaru scowled as he heard the damn cell go off, but he picked it up, knowing it was news concerning Kimimaro's current condition.

It was Kin.

She relayed Kimimaro's orders since their captain was unable to do it himself.

After he received his orders Kidomaru called an associate who knew how to go about procuring a metal cage.

Two hours later, Kidomaru placed his still unconscious victim inside the metal cell Dosu had procured for him. He made sure the red-head's cell was turned on and placed it back in his pocket where he had first found it. After locking the door, he waited for Neji to call.

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Kin smiled a cruel smile as she finished talking with Kidomaru.

She had been in the vicinity when Kimimaro's coughing fit occurred but by the time she had gotten his medicine, Kimimaro had already started coughing up blood. Soon after, he lost consciousness and she had to call someone to help her put him in a bed. Once Kimimaro had been taken cared of, Kin retrieved the phone he had dropped and called Kidomaru.

It was fate. This was the perfect opportunity to get her vengeance for all the grief that bastard had given her, so saying she was relaying orders from Kimimaro, she told Kidomaru exactly what she wanted.

She only hoped that Kabuto would not ruin her fun.

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Kabuto looked at ruined Hyuuga and had to mask the smile that threatened to appear on his face. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to get Neji to turn his back on everyone that cared about him.

Across from him, Neji sat with blank look on his face as they made their way out of Konoha. After Neji followed him to the limousine, Kabuto had instructed the driver to head back to the hotel he was staying at in order to get the soaking and muddy Hyuuga a pair of clean and dry clothes, as well to check out of the hotel.

While he was taking care of business, Kin had called him to ask for a favor. He listened to her proposal and agreed. Though knowing Kin had proposed the idea out of her own cruel revenge, he could not help but agree with her: all bonds must be cut.

He needed to utterly shatter any thoughts Neji had about staying in Konoha, he wanted the Hyuuga to be utterly alone and the only way to accomplish that was to cut any lingering strings that may bring him back.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Kabuto looked at the Hyuuga in front of him. He had given the teen enough time to think things through, and let the reality of the situation sink in. It was time to execute Kin's plan.

Turning to the quiet Hyuuga, Kabuto spoke. "What is your answer?" Kabuto asked him. "Do you want me to help you rid yourself of that cursed virus, or would you rather return back to your father's murderer?"

At the mention of his father's death, Neji's hands instantly clenched in rage. He would never go back to the Hyuuga Mansion—that he knew without a doubt, but the only way to accomplish that was to find a cure to that damn virus.

He stared at Kabuto through solemn eyes. "Even if you can eventually find a cure, I would be long dead by the time you made a breakthrough. In order to survive, I need the medication that is given to every Hyuuga. Without it I will die."

Kabuto looked at him and allowed himself a small smirk. Yes, they had picked well when it came to the Hyuuga. He was a perfect pawn, easily manipulated. Even when talking about his potential death, he was calm—giving known of his feelings away.

"I have already synthesized the medication that you speak of," Kabuto told him, and watched as Neji's eyes widen in shock. This was really too easy he thought to himself.

"You…you have the antidote?" the young teen asked him with pure astonishment in his voice. It had taken decades for hundreds of Hyuuga scientist's to come up with the antidote to the virus that infected their bodies. How could the grey-haired male in front of him speak so casually about discovering how to synthesize the antidote? If he could find the antidote in less time than it had taken all those hundreds of scientist's then maybe, just maybe he could find the cure.

"Will you accept my help Neji?" Kabuto asked him one last time.

Neji nodded his head, eyes filled with resolution. "I will."

Kabuto smiled. "I have only one request," he told him. Neji nodded, knowing he would do anything requested of him as long as he could stay with the medical genius in front of him, for he knew the grey-haired medic was exactly that—a genius.

"I want you to sever all ties with everyone in Konoha. From now on, you will be free of the ties that kept you tied down to this city—kept you a prisoner in that gilded cage."

Kabuto handed him a cell phone and looked at him expectantly. Without a second thought Neji called the Hyuuga Mansion.

Unsurprisingly, the butler answered, and Neji asked for Hiashi. After the butler retrieved the head of the Hyuuga Clan, Neji quickly got to the point and told him he would not be returning. He refused to return to the home of his father's murderer.

Hiashi heard every cruel word that came out of his nephew's mouth and said nothing. He could do nothing but accept his nephew's decision. After all, hadn't he just seen the digital recording of his brother's own death a mere hour ago?

After he had recovered from the momentary grief that overtook him, Hiashi had discovered the digital footage, along with the rest of the papers his nephew had received that day. After watching and reading the evidence that he had no doubt Neji had read and watched he could do nothing to stop his brother's son.

No wonder Neji had been in such a state. To find out about his father's death in such a cruel way was unfathomable. He could only guess how much Neji hated him, and the worst thing was he had every right in the world to hate him.

Guilt stopped him from reacting to Neji's harsh words of good-bye—he did nothing to stop him...just like he had done nothing to stop his brother's death.

Long after Neji hung up with him, Hiashi held the phone to his ear, unaware of the world around him. He had finally lost the last remnants of his beloved brother.

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After giving his cold good-bye to Hiashi, Neji hung up the phone.

From across the seat, Kabuto looked at him expectantly. "You still have one call to make," Kabuto informed him.

Neji looked at him with a hint of confusion. He had already cut his ties with his family who else was there…then it dawned on him—Gaara.

He looked up at Kabuto and instantly knew that Kabuto expected him to call Gaara…but what would he tell the red-head? How could he tell him that he was leaving forever?

...How could he hurt him that way? For a moment Neji's resolve came perilously close to shattering. He couldn't hurt Gaara, couldn't leave him without any explanation. The young male didn't deserve such a thing.

From across the seat, Kabuto immediately recognized the doubt that crossed the Hyuuga's features.

"_So, Kin was right,"_ he thought to himself. Gaara was a threat that needed to be eliminated. Without second thoughts, Neji had severed his ties to his family, yet his resolve crumbled when it came to severing his ties with the red-head.

"Having trouble Neji?" Kabuto asked him.

Neji pulled himself from his internal battle and looked up at the grey-haired medic.

"Do you really think it would be fair of you to stay with Gaara knowing of your illness? Tell me, have you told him you're sick?" he asked him, knowing full-well that it was forbidden to tell anyone outside of the Hyuuga Family.

Neji shook his head. "He doesn't know," he whispered.

"Do you really think he would stay with you knowing you were sick? I'm sure you're aware how a person's attitude quickly changes once they know you're ill. Eventually, he will leave you. Why don't you do yourselves both a favor and break it off now before it becomes more painful later on."

"_He's right,"_ Neji thought to himself. _"I always knew that once Gaara found out about the virus, he would eventually leave me…And even if he decided to stay with me, he would end up hating me…for infecting him."_

Knowing Kabuto was right, Neji dialed Gaara's cell, fully ready to destroy what they had built together. He would rather face Gaara's hate than destroy his life by getting him involved in a situation that was his to face alone.

Kabuto smirked.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"If you don't stop thrashing around, I'm going to knock you out again," Kidomaru warned the red-head.

Once Gaara came too, he had been delirious for a few seconds that is until he discovered where he was.

The Cell.

"_It can't be!"_ he thought to himself, freaking out at the mere prospect of being back in the metal cell down in the basement in Suna. _"Father's dead, I can't be back in here!!"_ the red-head thought to himself as he remembered his younger years in which his father had locked him in a metal cell for hours at a time.

As his memories of his bleak past resurfaced, he immediately began to thrash around. It was instinct and nothing else.

He was claustrophobic.

Soon enough his fear took hold of his mind until he couldn't tell his past from the present. Eventually he became that little boy who was scared yet consoled by the dark, for he knew that he was safe in the dark, yet hated the emptiness that was forever his companion in the dark basement.

He thought he heard someone in the room, but ignored it, hoping it wasn't his father. His father had often ridiculed him when he locked him in the metal cell. He didn't want to hear his words, not anymore. They were already burned in his mind for all eternity—words of hate and disgust.

After what seemed like hours, he heard a familiar sound—it was his phone. He retrieved the electronic device from his pocket and looked at it as if it were the first time he had seen such a contraption.

"_Father's dead. He died in a car accident…I killed him,"_ thought the red-head as he tightly closed his eyes against the images of his father that slowly dissipated from his mind's eye. Remembering that his father was indeed dead, Gaara managed to calm himself down enough to remember what to do with the device.

With shaking hands, he answered, only to have the phone fall out of his jittery hands. Eyes still closed, he franticly searched around the steel cage for the phone. Hands groping for the phone in the darkness, he heard a familiar voice. He immediately pin-pointed the direction of the voice and picked up the phone.

"Neji… help me," he managed to whisper in his panic.

Hearing Gaara's scared voice on the other line made Neji's heart stopped for a second. But he recovered a moment later. _"It's for the best,"_ he reminded himself as he steeled his heart.

On the other line, Gaara clearly heard Neji's response.

"Gaara it's over. I no longer have any ties with you."

It took Gaara's fear-gripped brain a second in order to process what Neji told him, but once he did, he felt a resounding pain rip through his heart.

Too shocked with Neji's words, Gaara said nothing. The long-haired male used this pause to continue on. "I only wanted your body, nothing else," he cruelly said, not knowing why he said such a thing, but it was too late to take back the words. After all, he needed Gaara to hate him.

"_I have to be cruel,"_ he thought to himself. _"Gaara deserves better than me, someone who's not ill and broken…he deserves someone who can bring him happiness."_

Hearing Neji's words almost broke the red-head, but he managed to get a few words out. "Why…Why? Neji why did you…you…I thought you truly cared…," he hoarsely stuttered out.

"You were wrong. I never cared about you. I only wanted you to warm my bed."

"I-I-I need you…I-I-I'm in the darkness," his voice hitched from his panic. He could feel as the walls of the cell slowly enclosed him and he was dangerously close to losing his mind. _"I'm back in the cell!" _he screamed in his mind, but Neji could not read his thoughts.

Neji gripped the phone a little tighter, "Find someone who cares, Sabaku. I'm no longer interested in you. I never loved you."

With those parting words, Neji let the phone slip through his fingers and watched as it fell to the floor, disconnecting the call as it did so.

"It was for the best," Kabuto said as his eyes glinted with mirth.

"_If only you knew…"_ the medic thought, as he gave the driver instructions.

Neji paid no heed to his words. He had no idea that it would hurt this much telling Gaara such lies. The worst one being his last words, for now that he knew he had ripped apart any ties he had with the Sabaku, he realized just how much he truly loved him.

_x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x_

"I'm sorry Naruto," Sasuke said as he finished telling the blonde that he would not be returning—ever.

"B-B-But…Why?...Why are you so cruel!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke didn't flinch at the blonde's outburst, "I'm simply stating the facts, Uzumaki. I'm not being cruel."

"You call me to tell me your never returning to Konoha, and that I should forget about you, when only a month ago, you told me you would be returning. How is that not cruel?!"

"Get over it Naruto. I changed my mind. I never promised you more than a few moments of pleasure."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? YOU BASTARD!!!" The blonde yelled, too angry at the Uchiha to realize that his heart was breaking.

In a cold tone Sasuke answered him, "I never promised you anything. If you had some delusional idea that we would be together for longer than a year or two, then you're even a bigger idiot than I thought. It's over, don't ever call me again."

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD—" But that was all the blonde could get out before the Uchiha hung up.

"**BASTARD!" **He yelled out as he threw the phone across the room, and watched as it broke into pieces.

Moments later he heard as his guardian ran in his room, "Naruto! What's going on here?" Jiraiya angrily asked him, but stopped the next words of reprimand when he saw the blonde's azure eyes filled with unshed tears. Not knowing how to deal with tears, Jiraiya hesitantly walked up to the teen. "What's wrong?" he asked in a gentler voice.

Naruto's entire body shook as he tried to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape. But he lost it when he felt Jiraiya's arms embrace him in a fatherly hug. Jiraiya was not one that expressed his feelings through physical touch like the blonde did, but sometimes when Naruto was needed it the most, he would bring him into a fatherly embrace. Naruto always broke down after Jiraiya hugged him, but he would only ever let a few sobs escape him; however, this time he poured his hear out.

Jiraiya was surprised by the blonde's heart-wrenching sobs. Naruto had never cried this much since he was a child. Something was defiantly wrong, and he was going to find out exactly what. But for the moment, he simply held the boy in his arms as rivers of tears soaked into his shirt.

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Kidomaru made sure that the red-head was securely locked-up before leaving.

After the red-head had received the Hyuuga's call, the young teen had stopped his insistent trashing, and just sat there, head huddled on his bent knees as tears slipped from his eyes.

His job was done. "I wonder how long it'll be before someone finds you?" Kidomaru said aloud to no one in particular as he left the red-head in the abandoned warehouse located in the outskirts of Konoha.

Back in the cell, Gaara's memories resurfaced with a vengeance.

"Father? Why? Why me?" he whispered to himself in a hoarse voice, as he remembered his father's hate-filled eyes directed at him.

"Why does everyone hate me?...What did I do wrong?"

"_Find someone who cares, Sabaku. I'm no longer interested in you. I never loved you." _

Neji's cold words reverberated through his mind. "Why can't anyone love me!" he cried out as Neji's face came to mind.

The steel walls enclosed around him and his already fragile mind began to fragment into a million cracks.

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Two days later, a long-haired teen ran into an old warehouse with laughter bubbling from his mouth as he ran from his boyfriend.

"Haku!" Zabuza yelled out in annoyance. _"How did I ever end up with such a guy?" _he asked himself for the 100th time. Sighing to himself, he ran after the young teen, knowing his part in the younger male's game.

However, something was wrong. Why had Haku's laughter suddenly stopped?

Imagining the worst, Zabuza ran into the warehouse at full speed. Once inside, he made an abrupt stop as he saw Haku's still form looking at a metal cage located in the middle of the building.

"What is it?" the older male asked.

Haku pointed to the steel cell, "I think someone's in there," he said, concern lacing his words.

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For two days, Gaara remained in the metal cell. For two days, his memories haunted him. For two days his mind slowly fragmented.

Before he moved to Konoha he had been merely a shell of a person: emotionless, impassive, detached and cold. But once he immersed himself in the city and its occupants, he learned a great many things, including a range of emotions he had never known he possessed. He discovered laughter, jubilation, concern, peace, friendship, and love. And now, he had discovered heart-break.

Naruto had found him drowning in an abyss of darkness. A darkness that threatened to break him at any moment, so that he couldn't take a simple breath in the dark. Naruto had seen this and reached for him, but being the stubborn fool that he was, Gaara had refused the offered help. So, Naruto simply stood there on firm land as he watched him struggle in the sea of darkness as he desperately tried to take gulps of air that kept him from drowning in the murky dark waters.

It pained the blonde to see Gaara's struggle, so Naruto gave up his spot in hopes that someone else could get through to the red-head.

Taking Naruto's place, Neji stepped onto the sandy shore, and simply watched him from afar.

Not wanting to seem weak, Gaara used all of his strength to reach the sands on which the long-haired male stood. After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally able to clearly see each grain of sand where Neji waited for him. Staring into his smiling pale-lavender eyes, Gaara felt peace over take his struggling soul.

Neji smiled at him as he knelt down and grasped his tired arms in a firm grip. Surprised by the Hyuuga's action, Gaara let the long-haired teen pull him up to the sandy shores. Neji was going to save him, hoping it was the last time he would feel the murky dark waters, Gaara took in a lung-full of air thinking it was his last breath in the dark, but before his hand touched the grainy substance, Neji bent down and kissed him softly on the lips before shoving him back into the murky dark waters. Too shocked by the Hyuuga's action, Gaara didn't notice as his mind fell even farther down than he had previously been. He was surrounded by darkness on all sides. He couldn't breathe.

As he plummeted further and further down through the dark water, he remembered a poem he had once read, but never understood until this moment.

**_From childhood's hour I have not been  
As others were; I have not seen  
As others saw; I could not bring  
My passions from a common spring.  
From the same source I have not taken  
My sorrow; I could not awaken  
My heart to joy at the same tone;  
And all I loved, I loved alone.  
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn  
Of a most stormy life- was drawn  
From every depth of good and ill  
The mystery which binds me still:  
From the torrent, or the fountain,  
From the red cliff of the mountain,  
From the sun that round me rolled  
In its autumn tint of gold,  
From the lightning in the sky  
As it passed me flying by,  
From the thunder and the storm,  
And the cloud that took the form  
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)  
Of a demon in my view._**1

"Neji," Gaara whispered before his mind shattered.

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(1) **_Alone_** by Edgar Allan Poe

So this is the end of what I suppose is Act I. This is the prequel to the story I was originally thinking about writing. Act II will take place five years later. Naruto and Gaara have moved on and lead a semi-happy life. Naruto begins to fall for his red-headed friend, but will Gaara return his blossoming feelings? And what will happen when Neji and Sasuke unexpectedly return to Konoha and enter their lives once more?

Read and find out.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)


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